HEALTH | TETANUS | DR KITAKA

KAMPALA - Mulago National Referral Hospital Senior Pediatrician Dr Sabrina Kitaka has appealed to the general public to go for a tetanus booster shot to prevent the deadly disease.

Kitaka says people neglect booster shots yet they are so vital. 

Since the tetanus vaccine does not offer lifelong immunity, everyone should go for a booster shot every after 10 years.

“You can never know when you are going to get injured, and get tetanus, take it upon your selves to vaccinate. When tetanus sets in, it is a disease. It causes spasms, lockjaw and difficulty in breathing. If not treated properly, people die,” Kitaka said.

According to the Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunisation (UNEPI), every year, up to 5,000 people are infected with tetanus in Uganda.

Kitaka made the remarks during the inaugural National stop Tetanus awareness run at City Square in Kampala on Sunday, October 16, 2022.

The 4km run, which started from City Square and ended at Mulago Referral Hospital pitch, climaxed the month-long ‘Stop Tetanus Awareness Campaign’ with participants taking voluntary tetanus immunisation.

The run focused on creating awareness among the population about the need for Tetanus booster vaccination jabs, which are given free of charge in private and government hospitals.

Sis Eunice Kiseka vaccinates Dr Sabrina Kitaka during the National stop Tetanus awareness run at City Square on October 16, 2022. (All Photos by Juliet Kasirye)

The Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS-Uganda) and the Stop Tetanus Club, in collaboration with the health ministry and other partners, such as Vision Group, organised the run to advocate for an adult immunisation policy that will engage the men and other adults who are sidelined in the current national Tetanus immunisation policy.

The executive director of HEPS-Uganda, Kenneth Mwehonge, said although Tetanus affects all age groups, babies, the young and adults, the tetanus immunisation policy concentrates on women of childbearing age (15-49 years), leaving out the men and other age groups.

Mwehonge added: “Unlike polio and smallpox, Tetanus cannot be eradicated as the spores are abundant in the environment.”

He appreciated all the media houses including Vision Group, who partnered with them during the campaign to reach the general public and decision-makers through awareness messages on childhood and adult immunisation.

 “We also call upon other partners to join this great cause as we create awareness and raise resources to support tetanus treatment at Mulago Hospital. It is a costly disease to treat yet preventable,” Mwehonge said.