Uganda is set to immunize more than 18 million children against measles, polio and rubella in a five-day mass vaccination programme starting on Wednesday.
The campaign targets all children under 15 years and will take place from 16-20 October in all districts in Uganda.
It follows recent measles and rubella outbreaks that spread to more than 60 districts. The drive is co-funded by Gavi – the global vaccine alliance, Unicef and the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ugandan government.
Polio has remained a big threat in Uganda with wild and vaccine-derived strains circulating in neighboring DR Congo and South Sudan.
Uganda has also seen a decline in routine vaccination programmes in recent years, the WHO says.
In a joint statement, Uganda’s health ministry and WHO said that the campaign will be a launchpad to introduce the measles-rubella vaccine into the country’s routine immunization schedule.
Disease surveillance is to begin as well as investigation of any suspected cases of these diseases.
