MBALE, Uganda — The Ministry of Health yesterday flagged off the National Polio Immunization Program in Mbale City, which will cover 49 districts of Uganda, primarily in Eastern and Northern Uganda. The national launch of the immunization program took place in Mbale City, where the Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health (MOH) flagged off the program on behalf of the Minister of Health, Dr. Ruth Acheng.
The immunization program targets children below the age of 5, irrespective of their previous health status—all must receive the polio jab. This is the first segment of the immunization effort, with a second segment planned, emphasized Dr. Okware, Director General of the Ministry of Health.
Mbale City has emerged as the epicenter of the polio virus, especially around River Namatala, where samples are collected every Tuesday for testing, emphasized Dr. Moses Mugonyi, the Mbale City Health Officer.
Speaking at the same event, the spokesperson for the Bamasaba Cultural Institution, representing the cultural leader of the Bamasaba people, Mr. Steven Masiga, pledged to mobilize all residents of Masabaland to participate in the immunization exercise, regardless of their tribal status. Mr. Masiga lamented how polio treatment has changed.
He noted that in the past, those suffering from polio could simply touch the garment of Jesus to be healed. “We are now in an era that requires an injection to cure polio, not just touching the garment of Jesus Christ or others like Muhammad,” he said.
The Kenyan representative of the Ministry of Health reported on the importance of these linkages, stating that polio knows no boundaries. In Kenya, it is referred to as universal immunization.
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The launch was attended by several partners and dignitaries, including Mbale City Mayor Mr. Kassim Namugali, RCC Madam Nasike, and Mbale City Public Relations Officer Mr. Kutosi James, along with representatives from the World Health Organization and others. Dr. Kuria, the WHO representative in Uganda, emphasized that the polio virus in Mbale is similar to that found in Garissa, Kenya, and parts of Somalia.
