One child has died, while more than 20 others have been hospitalised at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital after they were reportedly given the wrong medication during a health outreach in Butebo District.
The incident occurred at Kabwangasi Health Centre III, where about 25 children were reportedly given carbamazepine, a medicine used to treat epilepsy, instead of mebendazole, which is used to treat intestinal worm infections.
Carbamazepine is an anti-seizure medication that acts on the central nervous system, while mebendazole is an anthelmintic used to treat intestinal worm infections.
One of the affected children reportedly died at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, while more than 20 others remain admitted and are receiving treatment.
The incident was confirmed by Dr Julian Abeso, head of the paediatric department at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital.
“We received children from Butebo, the first of whom arrived in critical condition and later passed away. We have since received 16 other children who are still in the acute ward, with one of them also in critical condition. We were informed that the children had gone for a medical outreach for deworming but were given the wrong medicine,” she said.
Dr Abeso noted that the medicine administered to the children was intended to treat epilepsy and was not suitable for deworming.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda (PSU) has expressed concern over the incident, describing it as the second similar case reported in Butebo within seven months, following another incident in March 2026.
PSU Secretary Stephen Lutoti said the recurrence raises serious concerns about medicine management and safety during health outreaches.
“Carbamazepine is a Central Nervous System medicine with serious toxicity in children, while mebendazole is an anthelminthic,” Lutoti said.
He noted that the mix-up points to possible failures in the storage, labelling and verification of medicines before they are distributed for use in the field.
Lutoti also said that Butebo District, like many other districts, does not have a district pharmacist and instead relies on Mbale for pharmaceutical supervision.
“Medicines are not general commodities and must be handled by pharmacy professionals,” he said.
The PSU has called on the government to ensure that every district has a pharmacist responsible for supervising medicine management. It also urged the government to fill pharmacist positions provided for in the approved public service structure.
The Society further recommended that every health outreach involving the distribution or administration of medicines should have a pharmacist, assisted by a pharmacy technician, to conduct mandatory checks and ensure the correct medicine, labelling and dosage before medicines leave the store and during field operations.
Additionally, the PSU called for the immediate listing of all affected children, preservation of drug samples for verification, and provision of supportive care in consultation with paediatricians and pharmacists.
It also urged authorities to activate pharmacovigilance systems and conduct a full, independent investigation into the incident.
Lutoti said the PSU clinical pharmacy team was on standby to support the clinical management of the affected children. He also urged the people of Butebo to remain calm as health workers continue attending to those affected.
