Uganda: Uganda Gets Meningitis Vaccines

[Snowy Owl]

Uganda: Uganda Gets Meningitis Vaccines
New Vision (Kampala)
http://allafrica.com/stories/200703010272.html
Posted to the web March 1, 2007
Fred Ouma, Kampala​

OVER 250,000 doses of meningitis vaccines arrived on Monday.

The State Minister for Primary Health Care, Dr. Emmanuel Otaala, said the medicine will be used for mass vaccination in Adjumani, Yumbe and Moyo districts.

The exercise targets people aged between two and 30.

The elderly are believed to be resistant to the highly-infectious disease.

Otaala revealed that the vaccines were donated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

He added that 460,000 doses are needed and the final batch of the vaccines is expected by the end of this week.

The West Nile region and Kotido have recorded 110 deaths since the killer epidemic broke out in mid-December, while 3,000 cases have been reported.

The epidemic has led to the closure of schools, markets and entertainment centres in the affected districts.

The minister noted a 69% reduction in the number of meningitis patients. He assured the people that the situation was under control.

He clarified that a disease, which killed nine people in Masindi district, is an infectious disease, pneumonic plague and not meningitis or ebola.

The plague develops when bacteria infects the lungs.

It can easily spread from one person to another through bites of infected fleas, by being in the same place with an infected person and by inhaling the bacteria.

Otaala cautioned people to avoid having rats in their homes.
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