Uganda has launched a nationwide yellow fever vaccination campaign to protect its citizens from the mosquito-borne disease, a longstanding threat.
As of the end of April, Dr. Michael Baganizi, an official overseeing immunisation at the health ministry, reported that 12.2 million out of the targeted 14 million people had received the vaccine.
Moving forward, Uganda will mandate all travellers entering and leaving the country to carry a yellow fever vaccination card, in line with international health regulations, according to Baganizi.
Ugandan authorities aim for this requirement to encourage more individuals to obtain the yellow fever vaccination, particularly amidst widespread vaccine hesitancy concerns among healthcare providers in the nation.
The free single-dose vaccine has been made available to Ugandans aged between 1 and 60. Vaccination centres, located in Kampala and beyond, have been established in various places including schools, universities, hospitals, and local government offices.
Before, Ugandans typically paid around £27 for the yellow fever vaccine at private clinics.
With a population of 45 million, Uganda is one of 27 African countries deemed at high risk for yellow fever outbreaks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 200,000 cases and 30,000 deaths occur globally each year due to the disease.
Earlier this year, Uganda experienced a yellow fever outbreak in the central districts of Buikwe and Buvuma.
Yellow fever is caused by a virus spread through mosquito bites. Most infections are asymptomatic, but some may include fever, muscle pain, headaches, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting, as advised by the WHO.
Uganda’s vaccination campaign is part of a global effort initiated in 2017 by the WHO and partners like the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to eradicate yellow fever by 2026. The aim is to protect nearly one billion people in Africa and the Americas.
A midterm assessment of this strategy, published last year, revealed that by August 2022, 185 million people in high-risk African nations had received vaccinations.
In Uganda, yellow fever vaccinations are commonly sought by travellers heading to destinations like South Africa, where proof of vaccination is required upon arrival.
Despite efforts to vaccinate, many doses remain unused after recent campaigns, as reported by James Odite, a nurse at a designated vaccination centre in Kampala. These surplus doses will be reserved for future mass campaigns.
One of the challenges faced was that of vaccine-hesitant people questioning the quality and potency of the vaccine.
Baganizi, the immunisation official, highlighted Uganda’s government investment in community “sensitisation” sessions. These sessions involve officials engaging with people directly, emphasising the life-saving benefits of vaccines.
