The medical experts in the districts of Amudat, Nabilatuk, and Nakapiripirit (South Karamoja) have embarked on a massive campaign to contain the increasing cases of measles in the area.
The disease was first reported in the area in August, 2024, and Nabilatuk district has so far recorded 111 accumulative cases with two deaths.
Amudat district has reported 10 cases and Nakapiripirit 15 cases of infants with clinical symptoms.
Dr. Peter Lokwang, the Nabilatuk District Health officer, said that the cases started coming in from August last year and kept increasing till November.
Dr. Lokwang said they have since embarked on mass mobilization of the community to create awareness about the disease.
“We formed a district task force and isolated the victims as we continue to conduct intensive surveillance in the community to track new cases,” said Dr. Lokwang.
He said following the death of two children, they immediately conducted a mass immunization exercise and also actively searched for other positive cases in the area to avoid further fatalities and the widespread spread of the disease.
“To avoid a widespread measles outbreak, massive immunization was done for children between the ages of 5 and 6 years,” he noted.
Nakapiripirit District Health Officer, Dr. John Anguzu, said they have so far recorded 15 cases, but 13 have greatly improved.
He called upon the community to report cases to the health facilities.
The District Health Officer of Amudat District, Dr. Patrick Sagaki, confirmed that all the samples taken to the Uganda Virus Research Institute were returned on Tuesday, and all turned out positive from Amudat district.
According to him, they will continue to conduct mass mobilization to ensure that all children are vaccinated.
Uganda has experienced measles outbreaks in multiple districts in 2024. The outbreaks are due to a lack of immunization and are a threat to the country’s progress in eliminating measles.
In January 2024, Uganda reported measles outbreaks in eight districts.
The Moroto district outbreak was the most severe, with over 200 cases and six deaths as of July 2024.
Despite the availability of measles vaccines, given in 2 doses in Uganda, the country is still faced with increasing numbers of measles outbreaks each year, often affecting children under 5 years of age.
In January 2024, the country faced 8 measles outbreaks in 8 districts, including Terego district.
