Polio outbreak: Over 8.7 million children to be vaccinated

 By Moses Ndhaye

Over 8.7 million children in Uganda are set to be immunized against polio following confirmation of positive laboratory tests of poliovirus from environmental samples in Kampala.

The program manager for the National Expanded Program on Immunization (UNEPI) Dr. Alfred Driwale says, the exercise will kick off in October this year, and it will cover children under the age of 5 years and below.

He says, currently, they are sensitizing the community to ensure that parents comply to this call.

At the forefront of the global Polio eradication efforts, Uganda was certified free of all Polioviruses in 2006.

However, it has been under constant threat of Polio importation from other Polio-endemic countries in the region, as seen in 2009 and 2010 when Polio importations were reported in Mayuge and Bugiri respectively.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna