Minister Aceng Launches 2nd round of door-to-door polio campaignMinister Aceng

Kampala – 26 October 2022 – The Ministry of Health has launched the nationwide second round of the door to door Polio Vaccination Campaign targeting 8.7 million children under 5 years of age using Oral Polio Vaccine.

Speaking during the launch at Golf Course Hotel Kampala, the Minister for Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero said that “On August 25^th 2021, the Ministry of Health declared a polio outbreak following detection of the virus in the sewage network in Kampala. This is a matter of great concern requiring all of us to double our efforts to ensure no outbreak occurs in our country. Therefore, it is against this background that the Ministry launched the first round of the mass polio vaccination exercise in January 2022.”

Dr. Aceng, however, emphasized that due to the ongoing Ebola outbreak, the campaign will not take place in the Districts of Mubende, Kassanda, Wakiso, Mukono and Kampala Capital City.”

It is important to note that this campaign does not replace the routine immunization services. This is a supplementary service that offers additional protection to the target age group against Polio.

The Director General Health Services, Dr. Henry G. Mwebesa noted that “during the campaign, vaccinators along with the LC1s and VHTs, will come to your house to administer two booster drops of the polio vaccine in the child’s mouth and put a mark on the left little finger.”

Dr. Mwebesa called upon all parents and caregivers to cooperate with the health teams to ensure that all children under 5 years in their households get vaccinated against Polio.

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children below 5 years of age. The virus is transmitted by person- to-person through the fecal oral route and affects nerves. It can be prevented by practicing good sanitation and hygiene and vaccination using the Oral Polio or Injectable Polio Vaccines.

The campaign will take place from 4^th to 10^th November, 2022 across all districts in Uganda except Mubende, Kassanda, Wakiso, Mukono and Kampala Capital City.