Coincidence? Health Ministry Launches “House to House” Vaccination Campaign

24/10/2012

The exercise that started on October 20 is planned to last two days in the districts.
According to the Director General Health Services, Jane Ruth Aceng, during the exercise, the Ministry will reach out to every child under the age of five especially those who missed the routine immunization exercise in the selected districts.  

The campaign targets 21 total Of 2,178,039 children in Karamoja, eastern and Western regions and in districts along the border with Kenya and the DR Congo.

The campaign is funded by the Government of Uganda with support from the World Health Organization and UNICEF. “The house to house campaign is intended to reach out to the children whose parents cannot take them to health facilities or community outreaches due to various reasons,” Aceng told press on Wednesday in Kampala. “These include children born at home, those whose parents and caretakers feel reluctant to take them to facilities, migrant populations and those whose parents fear or mistrust the vaccine.”

Under the campaign, the Ministry of Health is working closely with village local councils and Village Health Teams to register children and administer the vaccines. 

Polio is a communicable disease that spreads from one infected person to another through the oral - feacal route.

It is a complex disease and more than 99% Who carry the polio virus go undetected. 

The Ministry notes that failure to eradicate polio allows for resurgence leading to death and disablement of thousands of children. 

The selected districts are; Abim, Amudat, Bududa, Bugíri, Buikwe, Bukwo, Bulambuli, Bundibugyo, Busia, Buvuma, Iganga, Isingiro, Jinja, Kaabong, Kabale, Kabalore, Kamwenge and Kanungu.

Others include Kapchorwa, Kasese, Kísoro, Kotìdo, Kween, Kyegerwa, Kyenjojjo, Manfwa, Mayuge, Moroto, Nakapirípìrít, Namayingo, Napak, Ntoroko, Ntungamo, Rubìrizi, Rukungíri, Sironko and Totoro 

“The Ministry of Health appeals to all parents and caretakers to welcome the health Workers into their households to immunize all the children in the recommended age group whether they have been immunized before or not,” said Aceng.