Kampala, Jan 17 (IANS): Uganda has received 2,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) for a prevention campaign to be launched next month, a senior government official said on Friday.
Ugandan Minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng told reporters that the vaccines will cover up to 1,000 individuals at high risk of contracting the highly infectious viral disease.
"Vaccination will target high-risk populations, close contacts of confirmed cases, and frontline health workers currently based in areas with active transmission," said Aceng.
Uganda, which confirmed the outbreak of the disease last August, has so far recorded 1,712 laboratory-confirmed monkeypox cases and 10 deaths, with the majority of the deceased having underlying medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, diabetes, and sickle cell disease.
At least 1,089 individuals have fully recovered and been discharged from various treatment facilities, according to the Ministry of Health.
Aceng assured tourists, investors, and traders that Uganda is safe for travel and business while urging Ugandans to remain vigilant and report suspected cases to health facilities, Xinhua news agency reported.
The World Health Organization in August declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern, sounding the alarm over its potential for further international transmission.
Monkeypox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus that is spread through close contact, with symptoms including fever, swelling of the lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle aches, skin rash, and back pain.
Meanwhile, the number of cholera cases in Uganda have also risen to 67 since the disease outbreak was announced in the northern part of the country on January 7, the Ministry of Health said Friday.
Daniel Kyabayinze, Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, told reporters that out of the 67 cases, seven are laboratory confirmed, while the rest remain suspected cases.
Of the 67, all reported in the northern border district of Lamwo, 21 remain hospitalized, while the rest have been treated and discharged, Kyabayinze said, adding that one death has been registered.
He said it is suspected that the disease was imported into the country from neighbouring countries.
"The disease has spread through poor hygiene and using contaminated water in areas which have low coverage of latrines and toilets," Kyabayinze said.
"We have so far lost one person due to cholera. The treatment will require a lot of rehydration. We call upon people to exercise proper hygiene, boil their water, and report to treatment centers once they get suspected cases," he added.
Cholera is an extremely serious disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhea with severe dehydration, according to the World Health Organization.