MUBENDE, UGANDA – The Greater Mubende Region has successfully administered over 580,000 vaccines, amidst reported persistent vaccine hesitancy, which remains the single biggest threat to preventing future disease outbreaks in the area.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The revelation was made as stakeholders presented findings from a year-long “Saving Lives and Livelihoods” project, which targeted eight high-risk districts in the region.
The region, which includes Kasanda, Kyankwanzi, Nakaseke, Kiboga, Nakasongola, Mityana, and Luwero, has a history of epidemic-prone diseases, including Ebola and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever.
The project, a collaboration between the Ministry of Health, the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), was also designed to tackle endemic diseases like measles in the districts of Mubende, Nakasongola, and Mityana.
Project Manager Edward Tibawalira said the Saving Lives and Livelihoods project successfully contained a measles outbreak by supporting health workers and district interventions, preventing it from spreading to neighboring districts.
“There were outbreaks of measles, and this project was able to support the health workers and all the districts to intervene. Because of this intervention, the measles outbreaks were curtailed; they did not spread to other neighboring districts,” Edward stated.
He also noted a significant shift in adult vaccination rates, reporting that while very few adults were previously vaccinated, mostly women receiving tetanus shots, the project has now successfully vaccinated a substantial number.
Health stakeholders report that misinformation and distrust are fueling vaccine hesitancy, undermining recent progress and necessitating a new focus on community engagement.
Dr. Michael Baganizi, Programs Manager at the Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunization (UNEPI), pointed to the influence of community leaders.
“Some districts have had partners, like religious people, who were teaching against government services like education and health, including immunization. So, one of the things we do is to engage them on the importance of immunization,” Dr. Baganizi explained.
Josephine Okwera, Director of Health Services at the URCS, emphasized that hesitancy is not limited to COVID-19 vaccines but extends to routine childhood immunizations.
“It doesn’t only stop with the COVID-19 vaccines; even the regular childhood vaccines, people have mixed conceptions. This project was a good opportunity for reaching households and having that engagement with parents and individuals, to explain to them what the vaccines are, why to get vaccinated, and what happens after vaccination” said Okwera.
The “Saving Lives and Livelihoods” project demonstrates that while mass vaccination is crucial for disease control, winning the trust of communities through direct dialogue is equally vital for safeguarding long-term public health in the Greater Mubende Region.
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