Data based on the confined two week recall period indicates that the great majority of injections were therapeutic injections (see Table 5). In Busoga, in the 93 households that received an injection during the two week recall period, 87 (93.5%) of them received therapeutic injections and six (6.5%) received immunizations. No infusions or contraceptive injections were recorded, A similar trend is reflected in findings for Ankole: in the 108 households that received injections, 84 (77.8%) of them received therapeutic injections and 24 (22.2%) immunizations. In Ankole also there were no infusions or contraceptive injections.

Table 5; Percentage of households that received a specific type of injection in the confined two week recall period in Busoga and Ankole Regions

These results are not surprising as immunizations and injections for contraception are taken for preventive purposes during confined periods by a specified age group. Therapeutic injections can be administered anytime anyone is sick. These injections are also more readily available. In Uganda, infusions and immunizations are not administered by informal providers. In Busoga, for instance, access to immunization and infusions was restricted to well-established medical facilities. In the remote areas, these are poorly equipped or non-existent. In one remote community, the refrigeration system at the local dispensary had broken down a year ago, while in another remote community there was simply no established health facility. Infusions are known to be administered to patients who are in a critical state, i.e. in cases of acute dehydration, anemia, after an operation and also for inducing birth. Therefore, to the local people this type of injection signifies pain and death. The majority of local informal injection providers indicated that they would never administer any form of injection to a person who was in a critical state. It is for these various reasons that infusions are not so popular. Contraceptive injections have different associations making them unappealing to local people: they are associated with infertility and irregular menstruation.