Several families affected by the nodding disease epidemic in the worst hit sub counties of Palabek Kal and Palabek Gem in Lamwo district are afraid of a looming hunger streak at the end of the year.

Kept away from their gardens, the families say that they are pre-occupied with looking after their sick children who cannot be left alone at home due to repeated seizure attacks which can lead to self harm or victims falling into fires or disappearing into the bushes.

According to Ms Evelyn Akello a mother of four children affected with the syndrome from Abam village in Palabek Gem Sub County, if there was any other way of guaranteeing the safety of her children, she would have opted for it.

“All the affected families are tied up home and in the health centers to look after the children who are affected by the syndrome and there is no way we can go digging in our garden,” she said.

Meanwhile Mr Richard Oloya a father of two affected children from Palabek-Kal village says that the disease requires closeness to the victim because they are in need of assistance all the time. 

“If their mother went somewhere, at times we would sleep dirty and hungry because I cannot afford to leave them alone,” he said.

Oloya says there is need for them to remain with the affected children at home in fear of losing their life because they can easily harm themselves.

However the LCV Chairman for Lamwo district Mr Mathew Akia Ocen who spoke to Acholi Times on phone said that the health department and the Office of the Prime Minister are drawing up programmes to ensure that the families and the victims in all the affected areas of northern Uganda get food ratios.

Akia revealed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is soon coming up with plans to provide agricultural tools to the affected families and advise them on modern ways of farming so that they can be able to grow food for their affected families. 

“They need not worry because the government is soon coming with possible plans to make sure they do well in farming,’’ Akia said.

He added that whilst the government continues to find ways of handling and treating the disease, it will also find a way of providing food to the affected families, but advised those that are not tied down to find time to tend to their gardens.

“Those families who are not so tied down with the situation can try to go and do something very little (digging for some few hours), he concluded.