No new cases of yellow fever disease - Health

The health ministry said no new cases of the yellow fever. The fever killed three people in Masaka and spread to Rukungiri and Kalangala districts early this year.

The confirmed cases remain at seven like the ministry reported in April when the mosquito-borne disease causing hemorrhaging was first announced.

A statement from the ministry said government was accrediting more health facilities, to provide yellow fever vaccination especially to travellers.

It said the final list of the facilities which will receive the accreditation would be publicized immediately the process was complete.

"It is also important to note that Yellow Fever vaccines are in short supply globally, and therefore the limited doses are reserved for outbreaks and high risk counties," the statement signed by the ministry's director general  of health services, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, said.

"The National Taskforce Surveillance team continues to pitch camp in the affected and neighboring districts, to carry out surveillance and epidemiological assessment to inform other actions."

The statement said during the just concluded mass vaccination exercise, Masaka district which was the worst hit by the outbreak reached over 96% coverage.

In April, the ministry said it had enough yellow fever vaccine atleast for affected Masaka and Rukungiri districts, amid the alarming concerns that global stores were completely depleted of the serum which is the best weapon to stop the incurable disease.

Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng assured that the country has enough vaccine in stock to inoculate children and men and women aged six years and above in the affected districts, before the mass immunization exercise kicked off.

The acute viral haemorrhagic disease which attacks its victims, causing yellowing of the skin in some of them, had killed at least 225 people and infected about 1,600 since its outbreak in Angola's capital Luanda in December last year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Until the outbreak, yellow fever vaccinations were mainly sought for international travel purposes.

Yellow fever is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, the most common species being Aedes aegypti — the same mosquito that spreads the Zika virus, dengue fever and chikungunya virus.