Uganda's yellow fever vaccination drive: 'Ankole, get ready'
Mar 23, 2024
For a disease that is difficult to diagnose, especially during the early stages, and one for which there is no specific anti-viral drug (according to WHO), prevention is very important.
The World Health Organization says vaccination is the most important means of preventing yellow fever. (AFP)
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____________________ The yellow fever vaccine provides effective immunity within 10 days for 80–100% of people vaccinated, and within 30 days for more than 99% of people vaccinated, according to WHO
Around many houses and in forests or jungles in some parts of the world, day-biting and disease-spreading mosquitoes lurk dangerously as they pose a major threat to humans in the form of yellow fever.
Spread specifically by Aedes and Haemagogus mosquitoes, the World Health Organization (WHO) says yellow fever, a high-impact high-threat disease, is a potential threat to global health security.
Worryingly, the UN health agency says "many people do not experience symptoms", which include fever, muscle pain, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.
For a disease that is difficult to diagnose, especially during the early stages, and one for which there is no specific anti-viral drug (according to WHO), prevention is very important.
Vaccination, vector control, and epidemic preparedness and response are listed by WHO as the ways of preventing yellow fever.
'It's your time'
Keeping in mind that vaccination is considered the most important means of preventing this mosquito-borne disease, Uganda's health ministry is conducting a countrywide vaccination campaign aimed at protecting more than 13 million Ugandans in the first phase from being infected and succumbing to yellow fever.
Uganda launched the drive in June 2023 in Lira city.
Fast-forward to today, the ministry has said it will next carry out yellow fever vaccination in the Ankole sub-region in the first week of next month (April 2-8).
"It's your time to get vaccinated against yellow fever," it said in a communication posted on social media platform X on Friday.
This was a direct call to the people of Buhweju, Bushenyi, Ibanda, Isingiro, Kazo, Kiruhura, Mbarara, Mbarara City, Mitooma, Ntungamo, Rubirizi, Rwampara and Sheema.
The campaign is targetting everyone aged one to 60 years old.
According to the health ministry, the yellow fever vaccine is "safe, effective and free" and it has urged the people of Ankole to "go to the nearest health facility or designated outreach site and get vaccinated" in early April.
The WHO says that as of 2023, 34 countries in Africa and 13 countries in Central and South America are either endemic for or have regions that are endemic for, yellow fever.
"A single dose of yellow fever vaccine is sufficient to grant life-long protection," adds the UN health agency.
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