Ebola vaccination begins in Uganda. Photo | courtesy.
Uganda launched ebola vaccination campaign on Monday to curb the spread of the Sudan Ebola virus disease (SVD), which has claimed the life of one health worker and hospitalized two others.
According to the country’s Ministry of Health, the vaccination currently in its trial phase will first be administered to health workers at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala and Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in eastern Uganda. Additionally, family members who had contact with the deceased health worker, the index case who passed away on January 29, will also receive the vaccine.
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“The Ministry of Health is effectively managing the situation. The identified contacts are already receiving treatment and have been vaccinated against Ebola,” said Emmanuel Ainebyoona, spokesperson for the Ugandan Ministry of Health.
“We have individuals under isolation at the treatment center, as well as health workers who had contact with the index case quarantined in a designated facility,” Ainebyoona added.
According to the Ministry of Health, as of Monday, 234 people have been identified as contacts of the index case and are currently under monitoring.
While there are no approved treatments or vaccines for Sudan Ebola virus disease (SVD), early initiation of supportive care has been shown to significantly reduce fatalities, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
To aid in evaluating the efficacy of a trial vaccine against SVD, the WHO has donated 2,160 doses to Uganda. This marks the country’s eighth outbreak of the deadly disease.
