The Minister for Health, Jane Ruth Aceng, has announced that the nationwide vaccination campaign for Ugandans against Mpox disease will start in February 2025.
Aceng made these remarks while addressing the press at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on January 17, 2025, on the status of the Mpox outbreak in Uganda.
“Uganda will launch its Mpox vaccination campaign in February 2025, following receipt of vaccines from the Africa Center for Disease Control (Africa CDC),” Aceng said.
Aceng noted that the vaccination will target high-risk populations, close contacts of confirmed cases, and frontline health workers currently based in areas with active transmission.
Aceng also mentioned some of the hot spot areas, which include areas with commercial sexual activities in parts of the Kampala Metropolitan Area, including Kawempe and Lubaga Divisions, as well as peri-urban areas of Mukono and Wakiso.
“The Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (comprising Kampala, Mukono, and Wakiso) remains the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for 73% of the total cases. Transmission hotspots have been identified as Bwaise and Kawaala,” Aceng added.
Since the Mpox outbreak in July 2024, the disease has continued to expand, with a cumulative total of 1,712 laboratory-confirmed Mpox cases reported across the country.
Reports from the Ministry of health show that 1,089 individuals have fully recovered and have been discharged from various treatment facilities. Unfortunately, 10 lives have been lost, with the majority of these individuals having underlying medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, diabetes, and sickle cell disease.
Currently, 169 individuals are receiving care in designated isolation and treatment facilities.
The Ministry urges the public to avoid physical contact with individuals showing symptoms of Mpox, to refrain from sharing personal items like clothing and bedding with infected individuals, to wash hands regularly with soap and water or use alcohol-based sanitizers, to seek medical attention immediately upon noticing symptoms like rashes, fever, or swollen lymph nodes, and to accept vaccination when it becomes available, especially if you are in a high-risk group.
