Educate the masses on benefits of Ebola vaccines

This week, the government launched an Ebola preventive vaccination campaign to safeguard vulnerable populations against the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). The ministry’s Director of Curative Services, Dr Charles Olaro, said Uganda received the vaccines after the minister of Health sought assistance from the global community.DM bodytext: “We are pleased to announce that, through collaboration with Johnson & Johnson, the Ministry of Health has secured 25,000 Ebola vaccine regimens for Uganda. This strategic acquisition bolsters our public health response and preparedness capabilities,” he noted.

The vaccination is taking place in the districts of Adjumani, Arua, Bundibugyo, Fort Portal, Kagadi, Kanungu, Kasese, Kisoro, Kyegegwa, Luweero, Mubende, Ntoroko, Obongi, and Yumbe. The targeted vaccination campaign will happen in September and November with round one starting on September 23, and round two on November 23.

In September 2022, Uganda declared an Ebola disease outbreak caused by the Sudan ebolavirus species, after the confirmation of a case in Mubende District. During the outbreak, there were 164 cases, 55 confirmed deaths and 87 recovered patients, according to WHO. Uganda declared the end of the outbreak in January last year.

According to the ministry, the Johnson & Johnson Ebola vaccine regimen consists of two doses administered eight weeks apart. It includes two distinct vaccine components: Zabdeno® (the first dose) and Mvabea® (the second dose).

The vaccine has received prequalification from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is approved for use in Uganda by the National Drug Authority (NDA). It has been previously utilised for preventive vaccination in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

That Uganda has received thousands of Ebola vaccines should be good news. However, we are concerned given the reception vaccination drives have been given in the country in the recent past.

In 2019, the Rubella-Measles vaccination drive faced a lot of pushback from parents who said it was dangerous to children. In 2022, at the time the world was battling Covid-19, the government had to destroy 400,000 doses of expired Covid-19 vaccines, which had been dispatched to northern Uganda but were not used because of vaccine hesitancy.

The Ebola vaccination campaign is timely to safeguard vulnerable populations against the disease that has for decades wreaked havoc in the East African region. But the biggest threat to the campaign is vaccine scepticism, a movement that continues gaining traction around the world.

Since the vaccines are here, we appeal to the Ministry of Health to put energy into educating the intended audience on the advantages of getting vaccinated against Ebola. Lest these valuable doses go to waste.

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