Security officials in Kabale have issued a warning, to arrest and prosecute anyone found spreading false information to undermine the planned mass vaccination campaign against Yellow Fever Disease by the Ministry of Health.
The vaccination campaign is targeting Ugandans aged between nine months and sixty years, scheduled to take place from 9th to 13th June 2023.
During the launch and District coordination meeting at Kabale District Council Hall in Kabale Municipality on Monday, Deputy Kabale Resident District Commissioner, Andrew Ronald Bakak, emphasized the need to take action against individuals disseminating misinformation about the vaccine.
Bakak acknowledged the challenges faced by security personnel in 2020 and 2021 when some individuals campaigned against the Covid-19 vaccination drive. He asserted that such behavior will not be tolerated again.
Dr. Gilbert Arineitwe Mateeka, the Kabale District Health Officer, announced that a team of five individuals will be assigned to each of the 105 vaccination centers throughout the District.
He stated that the district aims to vaccinate 400 people per center daily, with a total target of 200,000 vaccinated individuals by the end of the campaign.
Dr. Mateeka urged the population to embrace the vaccination, emphasizing the safety of the vaccines for human health.
According to Dr. Diana Atwiine, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health, they have obtained 13,397,640 vaccines. Each Ugandan aged between nine months and sixty years is expected to receive a single dose, with Kigezi Subregion allocated 1,419,594 doses.
In 2022, Uganda was among the 14 African countries that reported confirmed cases of yellow fever, despite the ongoing global campaign to eradicate the disease.
