Derrick Bary Abila

Makerere University · College of Health Sciences

In patients presenting with post‐malarial anemia following intravenous artesunate treatment, post‐artesunate delayed hemolysis should be considered in the differential diagnosis, even in endemic settings. Close monitoring for signs of delayed hemolysis in patients previously treated with intravenous artesunate for severe malaria, regardless of thei...

Background Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men worldwide. Mortality is highest among patients in resource-limited settings (RLS), in part due to late-stage disease. Among patients with metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa), studies have shown significant improvement in overall survival with the use of androgen deprivation therapy...

Background Proportion of hospitalized COVID-19 patients receiving antimicrobial drug is significantly high despite evidence of low level of actual bacterial co-infection, potentially contributing to poor health outcome and global antimicrobial resistance. Materials and methods A retrospective study was performed on antimicrobial agents prescribed...

Background: BRCA1 gene dysfunction seen in epithelial ovarian carcinomas often results from germline mutations, somatic mutations, and promoter methylation. Identification of tumors with loss of BRCA1 protein expression has shown to have therapeutic and prognostic implications. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of BRCA1 protein...

PURPOSE Cervical cancer screening is vital in addressing the global burden of cervical cancer. In this study, we describe the coverage and socioeconomic inequalities in the coverage of cervical cancer screening in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS We analyzed data from the women's recode files of the Demographic and Health Surveys...

Aim To describe the negative experiences, coping strategies for stressful situations, and factors associated with COVID-19 worry among undergraduate students at Makerere University during the second COVID-19 lockdown in Uganda. Methods Descriptive cross-sectional study at Makerere University. Negative experiences and coping strategies were measure...

While previous reviews found a positive association between pre‐existing cancer diagnosis and COVID‐19‐related death, most early studies did not distinguish long‐term cancer survivors from those recently diagnosed/treated, nor adjust for important confounders including age. We aimed to consolidate higher‐quality evidence on risk of COVID‐19‐related...

A thyroglossal cyst is an inherent anomaly originating from remnants of the thyroglossal duct, a structure that connects the thyroid gland to the tongue during early embryonic development. Typically benign in nature, these cysts are situated along the midline of the neck, often in close proximity to the hyoid bone. In this report, we present an ext...

Introduction: Widespread cytology-based method of screening such as Pap smear test has significantly led to a reduction in the incidence and mortality associated with cervical cancer in many developed countries. In these countries, facilities needed for early detection of cervical cancer such as cytology laboratories are existent and generally avai...

Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of the thyroid gland has proven to be effective in the categorization of thyroid lesions into benign, atypical, suspicious and malignant categories. However only scanty data has been available regarding the prevalence of thyroid lesions in Uganda. This study aimed at classifying thyroid lesions cytological and to det...

Introduction: Widespread cytology-based method of screening such as Pap smear test has significantly led to a reduction in the incidence and mortality associated with cervical cancer in many developed countries. In these countries, facilities needed for early detection of cervical cancer such as cytology laboratories are existent and generally avai...

Background: Sustained motivation is essential for effective use of contraceptive methods by women in low- and middle-income countries as many women are likely to abandon contraceptives, especially when they continually experience episodes of failure. We aimed to determine the prevalence of discontinuation of contraceptives due to failure and its as...

Introduction Prostate cancer screening is a valuable public health tool in the early detection of prostate cancer. In this study, we aimed to determine the socioeconomic inequalities in the coverage of prostate cancer screening in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Methods This was a retrospective analysis of men's recode data files that wer...

PURPOSE The World Health Organisation (WHO) launched the Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI) in 2020 intending to reduce global breast cancer mortality by 2.5% per year until 2040, thereby averting an estimated 2.5 million deaths. In this study, we aimed to determine the coverage and socio-economic inequalities in the screening for breast cancer...

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the perceived risk of breast cancer (BC) and adoption of risk reduction behaviours among female first-degree relatives (FDRs) of BC patients attending care at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI). Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using a questionnaire to collect data between March t...

Background Household air pollution is mostly caused by cooking fuel. We describe the trend in household air pollution (HAP) caused by several types of cooking fuel used in Ugandan households from 2001 to 2016 and explore the household factors associated with it. Methods We did a retrospective analysis of data from four Ugandan demographic and heal...

Background Sustained motivation is essential for effective use of contraceptive methods by women in low- and middle-income countries as many women are likely to abandon use of contraceptives especially when they continually experience episodes of failure. We aimed to determine contraceptive failure rates and associated factors among Ugandan women u...

Background Sustained motivation is essential for effective use of contraceptive methods by women in low- and middle-income countries as many women are likely to abandon use of contraceptives especially when they continually experience episodes of failure. We aimed to determine contraceptive failure rates and associated factors among Ugandan women u...

Background: Asymptomatic Cryptococcal Antigenemia (CrAg) patients develop meningitis within a month of testing positive. Pre-emptive antifungal therapy can prevent progression to Cryptococcal meningitis (CM). In April 2016, a national CrAg screening program was initiated in 206 high-volume health facilities that provide antiretroviral therapy in U...

Background Disability and mortality burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have risen worldwide; however, the NCD burden among adolescents remains poorly described in the EU. Methods Estimates were retrieved from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019. Causes of NCDs were analysed at three different levels o...

Introduction Sustained motivation is essential for effective use of contraceptive methods by women in low- and middle-income countries as many women are likely to abandon use of contraceptives especially when they continually experience episodes of failure. We aimed to determine contraceptive failure rates and associated factors among Ugandan women...

Background Fine needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid gland has proven to be effective in the categorization of thyroid lesions into benign, atypical, suspicious and malignant categories. However only scanty data has been available regarding the prevalence of thyroid lesions in Uganda. This study aimed at classifying thyroid lesions cytological...

Introduction: The second wave of COVID-19 greatly affected the health care and education systems in Uganda, due to the infection itself and the lockdowns instituted. Double masking has been suggested as a safe alternative to double-layered masks, where the quality of the latter may not be guaranteed. This study aimed to determine patterns of doubl...

Introduction Widespread cytology-based method of screening such as Pap smear test has significantly led to a reduction in the incidence and mortality associated with cervical cancer in many developed countries. In these countries, facilities needed for early detection of cervical cancer such as cytology laboratories are existent and generally avail...

Background The type of cooking fuel used in households can expose the members to polluted air which has been shown to have multiple health effects. We describe the trend in household air pollution (HAP) caused by the type of cooking fuel used in Ugandan households from 2001 to 2016 and explore the household factors associated with it. Methods This...

Introduction To practice adequate Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures, health professional students need to have adequate knowledge of IPC. In this study, we assessed the knowledge of health professional students at Makerere University College of Health Sciences on Infection Prevention and Control. Methods We conducted a cross-sectiona...

Background: Asymptomatic Cryptococcal Antigenemia (CrAg) patients develop meningitis within a month of testing positive. Pre-emptive antifungal therapy can prevent progression to Cryptococcal meningitis(CM). In April 2016, a national CrAg screening program was initiated in 206 high-volume health facilities that provide antiretroviral therapy in Uga...

Background Ending the global tobacco epidemic is a defining challenge in global health. Timely and comprehensive estimates of the prevalence of smoking tobacco use and attributable disease burden are needed to guide tobacco control efforts nationally and globally.

Background: Chewing tobacco and other types of smokeless tobacco use have had less attention from the global health community than smoked tobacco use. However, the practice is popular in many parts of the world and has been linked to several adverse health outcomes. Understanding trends in prevalence with age, over time, and by location and sex is...

p>Purpose: In East Africa, cervical cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality amongst women diagnosed with cancer in East Africa. We aimed to describe the burden of risk factors for cervical cancer among women of reproductive age in five East African countries to inform the design of interventions to the reduce exposure of women to them....

PURPOSE In East Africa, cervical cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women diagnosed with cancer. In this study, we describe the burden of risk factors for cervical cancer among women of reproductive age in five East African countries. METHODS For each country, using STATA13 software and sampling weights, we analyzed the lat...

Background: Palpable breast lumps are the common manifestation encountered by physicians during clinical practice. The use of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) method has proven to be quick, simple and cost-effective in the evaluation of these lumps for benign, atypical and malignant changes. This study aims to determine the type of breast les...

Introduction In Uganda, Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females globally. The majority of the patients present with advanced-stage disease at diagnoses and experience high mortality. This underscores the importance of early detection approaches based on awareness of risk factors and self-perceived risks, and symptoms of the disease to pr...

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is spreading rapidly within countries around the world, thus necessitating the World Health Organisation (WHO) to project that the peak of the pandemic has not been reached yet. Globally, COVID-19 public health control measures are being implemented; however, promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates are still in the early-stage c...

Background: Herbal medicine is widely used in many developing countries and its use is increasingly popular in western world. However, information regarding the extent of herbal medicine use among people living with HIV under highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is limited in most settings in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to assess p...

The COVID-19 pandemic and its public health control measures have led to worldwide interruptions in healthcare service delivery, and cancer services are no exception. These interruptions have exacerbated the effects of previously reported barriers to accessing cancer care which was reportedly low even before the pandemic. If these effects are not m...

The COVID-19 pandemic and its public health control measures have led to worldwide interruptions in healthcare service delivery, and cancer services are no exception. These interruptions have exacerbated the effects of previously reported barriers to accessing cancer care which was reportedly low even before the pandemic. If these effects are not m...

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on 11 March 2020. The spread of the virus to countries followed different timelines. We describe the incidence and deaths associated with COVID-19 in Africa within eighty-four-day period since the first case was reported in the region. We analysed open acces...

Background: The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on 11 March 2020. The spread of the virus to countries followed different timelines. We describe the incidence and deaths associated with COVID-19 in Africa within eighty-four-day period since the first case was reported in the region. Methods:...

Objective: According to the United Nations, nearly 1.25 million people are killed and up to 50 million people are injured on the world’s roads every year. Uganda loses about 10 people daily to road accidents, costing about US$1.2 billion annually, which represents about 5% of the gross domestic product (GDP). The objective of this study was to iden...

Objective: According to the United Nations, nearly 1.25 million people are killed and up to 50 million people are injured on the world's roads every year. Uganda loses about 10 people daily to road accidents, costing about US$1.2 billion annually, which represents about 5% of the gross domestic product (GDP). The objective of this study was to iden...