Govt Warns Vaccination Saboteurs
Oct 02, 2003
The Government has put in place measures to punish people who are threatening to sabotage the mass measles immunisation campaign, reports <b>Anne Mugisa.</b>
The Government has put in place measures to punish people who are threatening to sabotage the mass measles immunisation campaign, reports Anne Mugisa.
Health state minister Dr Alex Kamugisha told journalists yesterday that surveillance measures had been put in place to detect any malpractice.
The October 15-19 exercises termed, ‘herd immunisation,’ aims to cover 12.5m children of six months to 15 years age group.
Kamugisha said measles is the fourth commonest sickness and cause of child death in Uganda, after malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
He said 60,000 children suffer from measles every year in Uganda with 3,000 to 5,000 dying.
He said that 93% of these cases are of children below 15 years while 7% are above 15 years.
“This means the burden of measles infection is still high with children below 15 years,†Kamugisha said.
He said the Government wants to achieve at least 95% coverage during the campaign. The current coverage is 77%.
Kamugisha said follow-up campaigns would be conducted three to four years later for children born after this year’s immunisation.
He said the Government has prepared vaccination centres in schools, health centres and other locations accessible to the people to ensure that the children and their parents do not move long distances.
The Government will also give all women aged 15 to 49 years in the tents endemic area of Busoga, a tetanus toxoid vaccination. He said in Bugiri 80 cases of tents are reported a year and the fatality is very high.
The immunisation will cost US$9m. Kamugisha said 15m doses of the measles vaccine and a million of tetanus toxoid vaccine had been secured.
Ends
Health state minister Dr Alex Kamugisha told journalists yesterday that surveillance measures had been put in place to detect any malpractice.
The October 15-19 exercises termed, ‘herd immunisation,’ aims to cover 12.5m children of six months to 15 years age group.
Kamugisha said measles is the fourth commonest sickness and cause of child death in Uganda, after malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
He said 60,000 children suffer from measles every year in Uganda with 3,000 to 5,000 dying.
He said that 93% of these cases are of children below 15 years while 7% are above 15 years.
“This means the burden of measles infection is still high with children below 15 years,†Kamugisha said.
He said the Government wants to achieve at least 95% coverage during the campaign. The current coverage is 77%.
Kamugisha said follow-up campaigns would be conducted three to four years later for children born after this year’s immunisation.
He said the Government has prepared vaccination centres in schools, health centres and other locations accessible to the people to ensure that the children and their parents do not move long distances.
The Government will also give all women aged 15 to 49 years in the tents endemic area of Busoga, a tetanus toxoid vaccination. He said in Bugiri 80 cases of tents are reported a year and the fatality is very high.
The immunisation will cost US$9m. Kamugisha said 15m doses of the measles vaccine and a million of tetanus toxoid vaccine had been secured.
Ends