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By Lilian Nanmagembe
Kampala – Uganda will begin today and for the first time ever its vaccination against deadly haemorrhagic fever Ebola as a preventative measure against the disease ravaging its neighbor the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, Minister of Health, said that only health care workers and front-line workers in the five high-risk border districts who are prone to infection with the virus will receive the anti-AIDS vaccine. -rVSV.
"As a neighbor of the DRC, Uganda is in a high state of alert because of the high threat of Ebola threat," Dr Aceng said Friday.
Dr. Aceng also recalled that there was no confirmed case of Ebola in the country and that case finding was underway in all communities, health facilities and post offices. designated and informal gateways in all districts.
The five districts identified by the government as the most threatened are Kabarole, Bunyangabu, Kasese, Bundibugyo and Ntoroko.
Ebola broke out in the northeastern provinces of the DRC in August and killed nearly 200 people and spread to areas near Uganda. Cross-border trade and flourishing social movements, as well as events between relatives living on either side of the border, have prompted the government to increase testing, fearing that the deadly haemorrhagic fever will spread in the country.
As of 1 November, the DRC had recorded a total of 285 Ebola cases, 250 confirmed and 180 deaths. 41 other suspected cases are under investigation. Dr. Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, WHO Representative in Uganda, said the vaccine was safe with a 90% effectiveness level and that he was starting to act within 10 days of his administration. He remains effective in the body for the next 12 months, he noted.
"No major risks have been recorded so far.Once a vaccine is vaccinated, a normal reaction could occur and that is why we follow those who have been vaccinated." said Dr. Tegegn.
He also explained that the vaccine was limited to a given part of the population because it was very rare.
A total of 2,100 doses of the vaccine offered by the US company Merck, based in WHO, are already in the country. Guinea and the DRC are from other African countries that have used the same vaccine.
About Ebola
The Ebola virus belongs to the family Filoviridae (filovirus) and comprises five distinct species: Zaire, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Bundibugyo and Reston. According to the World Health Organization, Ebola is spread through direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected people.
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