The countries are the Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda. The largest number of doses – 85% of the allocation – will go to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the most affected country, reporting four out of every five laboratory-confirmed cases in Africa this year.
The donation which is estimated to cost one billion shillings ($265,000) was delivered at the Ministry of Health on Friday and comes at a time when the country has recorded one mpox death and an increasing number of confirmed cases of the disease that has since been declared a public health emergency of international concern.
Calling for vigilance by both the public and health workers, Dr Immaculate Atuhairwe who is in charge of Operations for the mpox response at the World Health Organisation Uganda office said they have had confirmed cases that had previously reported to health facilities for up to five times but were being missed and treated for other infections such as malaria.
While Uganda’s first cases were imported from the neighboring DR Congo into the Kasese district, Kagirita says they are seeing high numbers from the fishing communities and worse they are seeing ladies present with serious genital attacks with many developing big lesions that take a long to clear.
The case was identified during a health camp organized ahead of President Yoweri Museveni's 80th birthday celebrations on September 15, 2024, at Kijaguzo Catholic Parish playground in Semuto, Nakaseke District.
Dr Daniel Okello the Director Public Health at the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) revealed that following the two cases that have been confirmed in the city, they have had to get the two isolation treatment centers at Naguru and Mulago National Referral hospital ready for any cases that may come up.
