Uganda launches mass yellow fever vaccination
Ruth Aceng, minister of Health, who launched the campaign in the northern Ugandan district of Lira, said the exercise would be conducted in six regions.
Uganda on Thursday launched a mass vaccination campaign for yellow fever targeting at least 13.4 million people.
Ruth Aceng, minister of Health, who launched the campaign in the northern Ugandan district of Lira, said the exercise would be conducted in six regions.
“The Yellow Fever Preventative Mass Vaccination Campaign will be conducted in three phases. Phase I, which we are launching today will be conducted in six regions covering 51 districts,” Aceng said.
She said the phasing of the campaign was dictated by the worldwide shortage of yellow fever vaccines.
“However, we are lucky as a country that among the 55 million doses that were available globally, Uganda was allocated 13.4 million doses enough for phase one,” the minister added.
The exercise will run between June 9-13 and the ministry called upon Ugandans to embrace the free and safe vaccination. All those aged between 9 months and 60 years are eligible for the once-in-a-lifetime jab.
According to the ministry, yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted through bites of infected mosquitoes. It presents with symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, fatigue, muscle pain, nausea and jaundice.
