Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | More than 500,000 babies in Uganda are exposed to polio and tuberculosis. This is because they are not born in hospitals. When children are born, they are supposed to receive polio zero and Bacillus Calmette–Guérin |(BCG) vaccines which protect against tuberculosis at birth. The vaccines …
Read More »How Polio was eradicated from Africa
‘Elimination of polio virus is testimony that vaccines work’ Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Dr. Alfred Driwale, the programme manager of the Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunization in the Ministry of Health was probably one of the happiest people on Aug. 25 when the World Health Organization (WHO) …
Read More »MOH calls for routine immunization despite Africa declared free of polio
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health has warned parents not to misinterpret Tuesday’s declaration by the World Health Organization that Africa is polio-free. In an interview with Dr Alfred Driwale, the manager of the Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunization (UNEPI) in the Ministry of Health …
Read More »WHO declares South Sudan free of the polio virus
JUBA, South Sudan | XINHUA | The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared South Sudan free of the poliovirus. “South Sudan’s complete documentation for wild polio virus free status has been accepted. With this feat, WHO’s Africa Region is set to be declared wild poliovirus free 2020,” the WHO South …
Read More »MINISTER ACENG: Vaccines are safe, no fatalities
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng has come out to reassure the nation that social media stories that there have been fatalities during the National Measles-Rubella and Polio Immunization campaign, are false. “The MR vaccine is safe and effective and does not have any fatal …
Read More »HEALTH: Measles and rubella
One disease or two? Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda has conducted a mass measles-rubella and polio vaccination campaign between Oct.16-22. Initially planned to be a five-day mass immunisation campaign but extended to seven days in selected areas, it used up to 20 million doses on the Measles-Rubella (MR) …
Read More »Uganda tasked to remain vigilant to eradicate polio
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Health experts have said Uganda should remain vigilant to interrupt polio transmission. The experts say that no country is safe until the disease is totally eradicated in the world. On Thursday, an independent commission of experts announced that wild polio virus type 3 has been …
Read More »Milestone: Another strain of polio eradicated worldwide
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | An independent commission of experts has announced that wild poliovirus type 3 has been eradicated across the world. The announcement made on World Polio Day today represents a historic achievement for humanity following the eradication of smallpox and wild poliovirus type 2. There are …
Read More »Gov’t to sanction schools for sabotaging measles-rubella
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Education Ministry has said that it’s planning to deal with all teachers who sabotages the just concluded immunization campaign against, Measles, Rubella and Polio. The campaign that began on October 16, was supposed to give learners aged 15 and below a booster dose of …
Read More »African countries tasked to strengthen routine polio immunization campaigns
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | African countries have been urged to strengthen routine immunization and surveillance measures to detect polio outbreaks. The call was made on Wednesday by the World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti in Brazzaville, Congo, as Africa marked a major milestone …
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