Over 18 Million children targeted in measles-rubella immunization drive

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health has started distributing vaccines for the upcoming Polio, Measles and Rubella immunization campaign.

20 million doses of measles-rubella vaccine and 10 million doses of polio vaccines have been procured for the exercise that kicks off on Wednesday, October 16th and ends on Sunday 20th.

Dr Alfred Driwale, the Programme Manager Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunization (UNEPI) at the Ministry of Health, says that the campaign will cost about 70 billion shillings and is targeting 18.1million children for measles-rubella and 8.2million for polio vaccination.

Over the last three years, the country has been experiencing cases of measles. Driwale says that according to surveillance teams health centres in 105 districts reported suspected cases to the Ministry of Health.

However, when they tested some of the samples from those areas, they found that actually, it was Rubella accounting for 20% of the samples analysed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI). 35% tested positive for measles and the rest were just skin diseases.

The districts are currently holding seminars for health workers that will be manning the 20,000 immunization posts that will be run by four personnel each. These centres will be receiving only children who will not be captured during school visits as the plan is to initially immunize those in school for the first three days.

While those receiving the polio vaccine will get oral drops, the Rubella measles – measles combination jab will be given by injection.

Driwale says this is the reason why they are calling parents to immunization posts unlike campaigns before, where immunizing teams would find people at their homes.

Both measles and Rubella present similar symptoms of a skin rash, fevers, inflamed eyes, dry cough and runny nose among others but Driwale say rubella can be more disastrous as it can attack an unvaccinated pregnant woman and also affect the foetus leading to congenital rubella syndrome.

While Uganda is just embarking on immunization against Rubella, other countries are talking of elimination as World Health Organisation statistics released last week show that more than 80 countries globally have already eliminated the disease because more than half of the infants are vaccinated.

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