Polio drive to be repeated
Feb 12, 2009
THE health ministry in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) is to repeat the polio immunisation campaign in Kampala district, following the low turn-up on January 31 and February 1.
By Anthony Bugembe
and Juliet Waiswa
THE health ministry in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) is to repeat the polio immunisation campaign in Kampala district, following the low turn-up on January 31 and February 1.
“The delay to access funds interfered with the drive,†said Dr. Possy Mugyenyi, the programme manager for the Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunisation.
Mugyenyi said the immunisation campaign was an emergency response to the increased threat of polio.
In September last year, WHO confirmed two cases of the virus in South Sudan and in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Due to the free movement of people from the countries to Uganda, there was a possibility of importing the virus, Mugyenyi said.
“We had barely two weeks to plan the drive, train the health educators and implement the campaign,†she said, adding that the campaign targeted Wakiso and Kampala districts in the central, the west, south-western, West Nile and parts of Acholi.
Kampala district health officer Joseph Senzoga said the campaign was ongoing in nursery schools to reach the children who did not get immunised.
He said the exercise would continue this weekend.
and Juliet Waiswa
THE health ministry in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) is to repeat the polio immunisation campaign in Kampala district, following the low turn-up on January 31 and February 1.
“The delay to access funds interfered with the drive,†said Dr. Possy Mugyenyi, the programme manager for the Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunisation.
Mugyenyi said the immunisation campaign was an emergency response to the increased threat of polio.
In September last year, WHO confirmed two cases of the virus in South Sudan and in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Due to the free movement of people from the countries to Uganda, there was a possibility of importing the virus, Mugyenyi said.
“We had barely two weeks to plan the drive, train the health educators and implement the campaign,†she said, adding that the campaign targeted Wakiso and Kampala districts in the central, the west, south-western, West Nile and parts of Acholi.
Kampala district health officer Joseph Senzoga said the campaign was ongoing in nursery schools to reach the children who did not get immunised.
He said the exercise would continue this weekend.