By Ben Musanje
6th Oct 2022
Government has introduced four additional doses on the routine national immunization coverage among children below the age of 2years across the country.
Among the additional doses include Hepatitis B, second dose of the injectable Polio Vaccine –IPV, Yellow Fever vaccine, and the second dose of Measles –Rubella.
The four doses will bring to a total of seven doses that are supposed to be given to babies after the three that have been undertaken including Oral Rota Polio and Vitamin A, Tuberculosis and Tetanus Diphtheria.
The Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunization –UNEPI Programme Manager Dr Alfred Driwale says Hepatitis B dose will be given at birth to interrupt transmission of Hepatitis B virus from mother to the new born baby while the second dose of the Injectable Polio Vaccine –IPV will be administered at six weeks to strengthen protection against polio.
He adds that yellow fever vaccine will be administered to babies at 9 months to protect them against yellow fever disease and the second dose of measles-rubella will be give at 18 months to give children extra protection against the disease.
All these vaccines will be free of charge and available at all government and some Non-Government and private health facilities as well as at designated outreaches according to Dr Driwale.
The Assistant Commissioner for Strategic Health Commission in the Ministry of Health, Tabley Bakyaita says that administering these doses has already commenced under the Integrated Child Health Days –ICHDs campaign which targets to accelerate action to promote the health and well-being of children and pregnant women in Uganda.
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