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Health Ministry Starts Ebola Vaccination to Curb Spread

Ebola Vaccination

The Ministry of Health (MoH) announced on Monday that they have begun vaccinating contacts of the Sudan Ebola Virus Disease case confirmed in Kampala last week.

Confirming that an additional two samples from close relatives of the deceased health worker had tested positive for the viral disease, Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the MoH Spokesperson said that they have since listed 234 contacts who will be receiving a vaccine that is still under trial.

Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) had indicated that the candidate vaccine and the candidate treatments including a monoclonal antibody, and an antiviral are being made available to the country through clinical trial protocols, which will make it possible to further document their efficacy and safety.

By Friday, the first 2,160 doses of the vaccine candidate and the treatments were already in Kampala and Ainebyoona says it’s from these that they are treating the newly confirmed cases. 

Allaying fears from rumors that had been circulating on social media over the weekend that the body of the index case had been exhumed, and more people were showing symptoms, the spokesperson said they had set up a mobile laboratory in Mbale in addition to the National Laboratory in Kampala to quickly capture any new case that may come up.

Individuals receiving the Ebola vaccine get two doses of the drug. Like other viral diseases, there is no confirmed treatment for Ebola but health workers intervene to offer supportive treatment to control symptoms which may include fever, headache, rash, running nose, vomiting and bleeding but in severe instances leads to multi-organ failure.   

Uganda had last recorded an Ebola outbreak in September 2022 starting from Mubende district before spreading to neighboring districts. In total during this outbreak, there were 164 cases – 142 confirmed and 22 probable, 55 confirmed deaths and 87 recovered patients.

By Olivia Nabaggala

3 February 2025

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