STORY: Uganda receives 2,000 doses of mpox vaccines from Africa CDC: health minister
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 17, 2025
DATELINE: Jan. 18, 2025
LENGTH: 00:03:04
LOCATION: Kampala
CATEGORY: HEALTH

SHOTLIST:
1. various of press conference
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JANE RUTH ACENG, Ugandan Minister of Health
3. various of press conference
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JANE RUTH ACENG, Ugandan Minister of Health
5. various of press conference
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JANE RUTH ACENG, Ugandan Minister of Health
7. various of press conference

STORYLINE:

Uganda has received 2,000 doses of mpox 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.

Mpox, also known as 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.

Uganda confirmed the outbreak of the disease last August.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JANE RUTH ACENG, Ugandan Minister of Health
"The outbreak has continued to expand, with a cumulative total of 1,712 laboratory-confirmed mpox cases reported across the country. Encouragingly, 1,089 individuals have fully recovered and have been discharged from various treatment facilities. Unfortunately, 10 lives have been lost, with the majority of these individuals having underlying medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, diabetes, and sickle cell disease."

The minister also said that the vaccines will cover up to 1,000 individuals at high risk of contracting the highly infectious viral disease.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): JANE RUTH ACENG, Ugandan Minister of Health
"Uganda will launch its mpox vaccination campaign next month in February 2025, following receipt of vaccines from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Vaccination will target high-risk populations as I mentioned, close contacts of confirmed cases and frontline health workers currently based in areas with active transmission."

The rapid spread of the mpox disease across the country has been a major concern for many Ugandans as schools are set to reopen for the new academic year.

The health ministry, however, said it has put all measures to ensure that schools reopen in February.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JANE RUTH ACENG, Ugandan Minister of Health
"The safety of school-going children is a top concern for parents and school authorities in the current mpox outbreak. Of the total confirmed cases, 362, which is 19 percent, are among children aged 0-18 years, and of these, some are learners. As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen school health capacities, we have trained 2,702 teachers from 1,440 schools in high-risk districts. And we plan to orient more teachers, and school health focal persons like school nurses before schools reopen."

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.

The World Health Organization in August 2024 declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, sounding the alarm over its potential for further international transmission.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kampala.
(XHTV)