subject: Uganda yellow fever outbreak kills more than 40 [print this page] Uganda yellow fever outbreak kills more than 40
The Director General of Health Services, Dr. Kenya Mugisha.said the vaccine is available in Kampala City Council clinics and others in Kampala, where people intending to travel abroad have been undergoing immunization.
Travelers are required to be immunized at least 10 days before travelling. The vaccine protects one for 10 years.
With the latest outbreak, at least 2.5 million people will be vaccinated against the disease in northern Uganda.
According to Mugisha, 2.5 million vials of the yellow fever vaccine will be urgently imported to protect the people from the deadly disease, which is spread by mosquitoes.
The disease, which has a high fatality rate, can kill in a week, according to medical officers.
The ministry, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and other partners, is working on the importation of the vaccine, which is expected in the country in January.
Meanwhile, the ministry has asked people to observe precautionary measures to avoid contracting the disease.
These include avoiding mosquito bites, especially during the day, sleeping under insecticide-treated mosquito nets and destroying breeding grounds of mosquitoes, including draining stagnant water and clearing bushes around residences
