Kampala, Feb 1 (IANS) Uganda on Saturday launched mpox vaccination campaign targetting high-risk populations in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, the current epicentre of the virus outbreak in the east African country.
Charles Olaro, Director General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health, told Xinhua news agency by telephone that phase one of the vaccination exercise, which targets high-risk populations and health workers, aims to stop human-to-human transmission of the highly infectious virus.
The vaccination started in areas intertwined with a web of commercial sex activity, bar attendants, commuter taxi drivers, commercial motorcyclists and roadside vendors in Kawempe and Makindye divisions of Kampala, according to the ministry and World Health Organization (WHO). The exercise will roll out to the other three divisions of Kampala and the central districts of Wakiso and Mukono.
“This vaccination campaign targets the high-risk populations, close contacts of confirmed cases and our frontline health workers currently based in areas with active transmission,” said Olaro.
According to health authorities, Uganda has some 2,000 doses of the vaccine donated by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that will cover up to 1,000 individuals.
Uganda, which confirmed the outbreak of the disease last August, had so far recorded 2,479 laboratory-confirmed mpox cases and 16 deaths as of January 28, with the majority of the deceased having underlying medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, diabetes, and sickle cell disease.
WHO in August declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, sounding the alarm over its potential for further international transmission.
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus that is spread through close contact, with symptoms including fever, swelling of the lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle aches, skin rash, and back pain.
–IANS
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