Uganda to vaccinate over 10,000 health workers against ebola

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Government is set to vaccinate over 10,000 high risk health workers against Ebola starting in May, 2024.

The exercise will target mainly 20 districts along the border line with the DR Congo, and some places in Kampala city against Ebola.

This revelation was made by Dr. Henry Kyobe, a Ministry of Health epidemiologist, and the leader of the Ebola response taskforce, shortly after receiving a donation of up to 25,000 double doses from the Johnson and Johnson company on Wednesday.

According to Dr. Kyobe, the donation was on request by the Ministry of Health to the company, as a way of adding onto the layers of resistance in case of an out break of this disease, especially the Sudanese strain that ravaged the country in 2022. He adds that the vaccination exercise is set to start in May after all the preparatory works are done since there is no need to carry out the vaccination quickly.

He said the areas where health workers will be vaccinated have been identified after thorough investigation of their risk potential, and vulnerability due to the high level of exposure to the transmission of this epidemic. Dr. Kyobe says that all the districts along the entire DR Congo, Uganda boarder line districts from the West Nile up to Kisoro, will have their frontline workers from selected health facilities vaccinated, as well as some people at the high risk of exposure to the pandemic in Kampala.

Dr. Kyobe says vaccination is an additional option to the Ebola response, along side the traditional preventative methods like contact tracing and safe burial.

The epidemiologist adds that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine which the country just received, is applied in a pair, with a prima dose and the booster. He says it is mainly targeting to resist the Zaire strain.

At the receiving of the vaccine, Dr. Andrew Kambugu the executive director of the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) who are the implementing partners of the vaccination program, expressed readiness to carry out the campaign.

This vaccination initiative by the Ministry of Health, strengthens the country’s preparedness against the Ebola pandemic, reflecting Uganda’s commitment to proactive public health measures.

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