Ministry Of Health Plans Free Polio Immunisation Drive In Kampala

Ministry of Health in partnership with Kampala Capital City Authority is to roll out three days polio immunisation exercise in all five divisions of Kampala starting from 17th to 20th February.

Dr Alfred Driwale, the Programme Manager for Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunization (UNEPI), said Shs647 million has been earmarked for the exercise that aims to eliminate polio among the under five years children.

Dr Ronald Ocaatre, the Assistant Commissioner of Health Services at the Ministry of Health, has asked parents, school authorities and local council leaders to collaborate with the ministry to ensure that the exercise succeeds.

Dr. Jane Aceng said that immunization is an important aspect of health system strengthening: “The resilience of the health system also depends on immunization at the community level. We are working hard, with the support of our partners, to improve the capacity of our health system.”

Recognising the ongoing threat posed by population movements, including refugees during the Ebola outbreak and COVID-19, “the Ministry of Health remains committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure that every child receives essential routine immunisation services, including polio vaccination,” Dr Jane Aceng stressed.

Dr Samuel Bawa, Coordinator of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in Uganda, speaking on behalf of WHO, noted that “achieving a polio-free world requires a strong public health system that is able to respond to public health threats and emergencies affecting populations worldwide.”

Dr Bawa went on to encourage Uganda for this major decision to strengthen polio eradication in the country and protect the health of children.

Ministry of Health has so far administered a new oral polio vaccine (nOPV2) to 8.7 million children aged zero to five years old in a nationwide door-to-door campaign from 4th to 10th November 2022, as part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rotary International and other partners.