Condoms Will Not Save You from Mpox-Health Ministry

Officials in the Ministry of Health have renewed their call for people to stay alert as the number of people getting infected with mpox keeps rising.

Speaking to URN in an interview, Dr Charles Olaro, the Director General of Health Services in the Ministry said as people gear up for Valentine’s Day on Friday, they need to be aware that condoms don’t offer any protection against the disease which is currently high among sex workers and boda boda motorcyclists in Kampala.

//Cue in:” Definitely the condom …   

Cue out: …. Of the person”. //

Uganda is currently among the top three countries in Africa with the highest number of mpox coming after the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. 

As of Thursday, figures by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show nineteen people have succumbed to the disease and according to Olaro, the majority of these lived with other pre-existing conditions including HIV and sickle cell disease.

In total, the country has recorded 1419 cases from just 713 in the previous two weeks, which represents a ninety-nine percent increase. Kampala and Wakiso districts are bearing the biggest burden of disease with males aged 18 to 39 years of age accounting for the highest number of cases.

However, as part of the interventions to control, the Ministry of Health started vaccination of sex workers in Makindye and Kawempe two weeks ago and by Thursday, ninety thousand doses had been administered whereby 86% of the sex workers vaccinated are aged between 20 and 49 years. 

While addressing a news conference on Thursday, Dr Ngashi Ngongo an epidemiologist and Chief of Staff at the Africa CDC revealed that more one hundred thousand doses of the vaccine are being planned to be deployed in the country.