Uganda

Country

Political status: Republic Fertility rate: 5 children born/woman
President: Yoweri Museveni Life expectancy: 63 years
Surface: 236.000 km² Infant mortality: 40/1000 births
Language: English Doctor/patient ratio: 1:25.000
Population: 46 million HIV prevalence: 6.2%

Itinerary

  1. Entebbe
  2. Kampala
  3. Jinja
  4. Kampala
  5. Mbarara
  6. Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP)
  7. Fort Portal
  8. Kampala
  9. Entebbe

Participants travel on tarmac- and maram roads (approx. 1400 km) in a comfortable 4×4 bus with an experienced English-speaking driver.

Curriculum

Schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, malaria, African trypanosomiasis, amoebiasis, typhoid fever, shigellosis, leprosy, HIV/AIDS and related opportunistic infections, Dengue fever, Chikungunya fever, West Nile fever and other arboviral infections, dermatology in the tropics, occupational medicine in the tropics, DD of fever and diarrhoea in the tropics, laboratory- and ultrasound diagnosis for tropical infectious diseases, medical botany.

Teaching CME Hours
Ward rounds and case presentations 20
Field excursions 15
Laboratory manuals 10
Lectures and round-table discussions 15
Total CME Hours 60

Program sequence (click every single day)

Day 1
  Transfer from Entebbe International Airport to TwoFriends Hotel in Entebbe (10 km)
23.00 Briefing on the TROPMEDEX excursion (Dr. Schaefer)
Meeting point: Reception of TwoFriends Hotel
Day 2
07.30-08.30 Lecture: Update on HIV/AIDS in Africa (Dr. Schaefer)
  Drive to the Joint Clinical Research Center (JCRC) in Luboa, Kampala (15 km)
10.15-13.15 Ward rounds: AIDS patients with opportunistic infections at JCRC, Kampala (Dr. Munyanja)
13.45-15.45 Laboratory manuals: Diagnosis of tropical infectious diseases, JCRC (Mr. Lubwama)
  Drive to Mabira (40 km)
16.00-19.00 Field excursion: Medical botany in Mabira Rain Forest (Mr. Herman)
  Drive to Jinja (20 km)
Day 3
  Drive to St. Francis Hospital – Buluba (40 km)
09.00-10.00 Lecture: Update on leprosy (Dr. Schaefer)
10.15-13.15 Ward rounds: Patients with leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, newborn tetanus and other infections, St. Francis Hospital – Buluba (Dr. Stephen)
14.00-16.00 Laboratory manuals: Diagnosis of leprosy, malaria and African trypanosomiais, St. Francis Hospital, Buluba (Dr. Luke)
  Drive to Jinja (40 km)
Day 4
  Drive to Kakira Sugar Estate Hospital (20 km)
07.30-08.30 Lecture: Occupational medicine in Kakira Sugar Factory (Dr. Adia)
09.00-14.00 Ward rounds: Patients with malaria, typhoid fever and occupational injuries at Kakira Hospital (Dr. Adia)
14.30-16.30 Laboratory manuals: Diagnosis of parasitic infections, Kakira Hospital (Dr. Wilfred)
  Drive to Jinja (20 km)
17.00-19.00 Field excursion by boat: Prevention and control of schistosomiasis on the shoreline of the Nile (Mr. Patrick)
Day 5
07.30-08.30 Lecture: Update on African Trypanosomiasis (Dr. Schaefer)
08.30-09.30 Lecture: Update on Ebola (Dr. Schaefer)
  Drive to Buikwe (30 km)
11.00-12.00 Field excursion: Prevention and control of African Trypanosomiasis in Buikwe District (Dr. Patrick)
  Drive to Mbarara via Kampala (320 km)
Day 6
07.00-08.00 Lecture: DD of diarrhoea in the tropics (Dr. Schaefer)
08.15-12.15 Ward rounds: Gastrointestinal infections, University Hospital, Mbarara (Prof. Edwin)
Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park (170 km)
19.00-20.00 Lecture: Update on Dengue Fever (Dr. Schaefer)
21.00-22.00 Lecture: Update on Chikungunya and West-Nile fever (Dr. Schaefer)
Day 7
Game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park Observation of Tsetse Flies (Vector) and Antelopes (reservoir of sleeping sickness)
After dinner: Movie “The last King of Scotland” is a great film on the rise and fall of the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada seen through the eyes of his personal Scottish physician (Oscar 2006)
Day 8
  Boat-trip on Kazinga Channel between Lake George and Lake Edward
09.00-10.00 Lecture: Update on malaria (Dr. Schaefer)
11.00-12.00 Lecture: Update on lymphatic filariasis (Dr. Schaefer)
  Drive to Fort Portal via Kasese (150 km)
18.00-19.00 Lecture: Update on onchocerciasis (Dr. Henry)

 

Day 9
  Drive to Fort Portal town (20 km)
07.00-08.00 Lecture: Update on schistosomiasis (Dr. Schaefer)
08.00-11.00 Rounds: patients with schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, podoconiosis and sickle cell anaemia at Alpha Medical Centre, Fort Portal (Dr.Henry)
  Drive to the Bunyaruguru Crater Lakes (20 km)
12.30-14.30 Field excursion: Prevention and control of intestinal worms in a school of the Bunyaruguru Crater Lakes region (Dr. Clouds)
  Drive to Fort Portal (20 km)
16.00-18.00 Field excursion to the Tooro Botanical Garden, where Artemisia annua and other herbs are cultivated for the treatment of malaria (Mr. Andrew)
Day 10
  Drive to Fort Portal (20 km)
07.30-09.30 Laboratory manuals: Diagnosis of parasitic infections at Alpha Medical Centre, Fort Portal (Dr. Henry)
  Drive to Kyenjojo (50 km)
12.30-14.30 Field excursion: Visit of a malaria bednet study in a village in Kyenjojo District (Dr. Paul)
  Drive to Entebbe via Mubende (270 km)
Day 11
9.00-11.00 Lecture: Ultrasound diagnosis and x-rays of patients with Tropical Infectious Diseases (Prof. Kisembo)
12.30-13.30 Laboratory manuals: Parasitological examination of blood-, stool- and urine samples, St. Elizabeth Hospital, Entebbe (Dr. Benjamin)
Transfer to Entebbe International Airport (5 km)
Changes may occur without prior notice

Accommodation

Travel preparation

Health

You should be in good health and fit.

Vaccinations: You need to be vaccinated against yellow fever. Custom officials check upon arrival your yellow vaccination booklet. It is highly recommended to be vaccinated againt polio, diphtheria, tetanus, typhoid and hepatitis A and to take malaria prophylaxis (malarone or doxycycline). Check wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/uganda.

Carry essential medicine with you, and if you like, bring masks, syringes, gloves etc., which are always in need in hospitals! If asked at the customs on arrival, explain that the medicines are for “private use“.

Tourist Visa
Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months. Keep copies of the relevant pages of your passport separately. Two months before departure I will send you information where and how to apply for the tourist visa (Single entry). Until then you don’t do anything.

 

Luggage
light trousers hand sanitizer
jeans mouth-nose-mask
shorts/skirt mosquito repellent
shirts sun cream
t-shirts flashlight
light sweater alarm clock
light impermeable wind jacket universal travel adapter
comfortable sport shoes with proper soles light rucksack
slippers bathing suit
sunglasses small umbrella
hat

Should be packed in a soft, lockable travel bag (not bulky suitcase). Maximum luggage weight is 15 kg per person. You don’t need a mosquito net, white coat or stethoscope.

Medical literature
Oxford Handbook of Tropical Medicine, Robert Davidson et al., Oxford University Press, 5th Edition, December 2021, ISBN: 0198810857

Amazon

Travel guide
Uganda, Philip Briggs, Bradt Travel Guides, 9th Edition, December 2019, ISBN: 10-1784776424, www.bradtguides.com

 

 

Laundry
Service is provided in all hotels.

 

Money
It is recommended to carry approximately US$ 400,- cash (bills dated after 2010) for meals, drinks, tips and personal expenses. You can withdraw Uganda Shillings cash with your VISA-credit card (don’t forget your pin number!) from ATM machines in Uganda. Other credit cards are less popular.

 

Insurance
You should have your own comprehensive travel insurance (health, accident, baggage, cancellation etc.) www.worldnomads.com.

 

Internet, Mobile phone
Wireless is offered in some hotels. Mobile phones (Vodafone) work here as well.

 

Airlines to Entebbe, Uganda
  • KLM via Amsterdam
  • British Airways via London
  • BrusselsAir via Brüssel
  • Swiss via Zürich
  • Turkish Airlines via Istanbul
  • Qatar Airways via Doha
  • Emirates via Dubai
  • Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Abeba

Inform TROPMEDEX contact@tropmedex.com in due time of your date and time of arrival at Entebbe as well as your departure from Entebbe.

Airport transfer
A free hotel shuttle is offered from Entebbe Airport to Two Friends Hotel in Entebbe (5 km).

The driver of the hotel will wait for you in the arrival area holding a blackboard with your name. The transfer takes about 10 minutes.

Gorilla trecking (unique) after the excursion
You can treck the mountain gorillas (unique) and visit other national parks. Contact TROPMEDEX contact@tropmedex.com