Uganda is currently experiencing a surge in measles cases across several districts.
Data from the Ministry of Health’s Health Information Management System shows that in 2023, 7 percent of 2 million Ugandan children under one year missed their measles-rubella vaccination.
Efforts to control the measles outbreak in Moroto district are being hindered by the porous borders with neighbouring Turkana County in Kenya. While Ugandans have been cautioned against crossing into the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following the confirmation of a measles outbreak in Kanungu district.
Moroto district registered its first case of measles on June 18, 2024, in the sub-counties of Rupa, Lotisan, and parts of Moroto Municipality. Since then, at least 113 cases have been reported at treatment centers, resulting in four deaths.
Dr James Lemukol, the District Health Officer, noted that they had been on high alert for a measles outbreak due to the ongoing situation in Turkana County, which has been battling the disease for the past year.
The outbreak initially declared in Turkana West, spread to Loima Sub-County, which borders Moroto district, around October last year. The cross-border movements between Turkana and the sub-counties of Rupa and Lotisan have exacerbated the spread of the epidemic imported from Turkana.
Many children with measles infections also have co-infections such as malaria, cough, and malnutrition. Low vaccine uptake, particularly for the rubella vaccine, remains a significant challenge in the district.
With support from the Ministry of Health, Uganda’s National Expanded Program on Immunization, and epidemiologists, vaccine doses have been mobilised, and the immunization exercise is ongoing in the targeted communities.
Insecurity in the most affected sub-counties has complicated efforts to deliver vaccines to the community. The district is working with the security committee to ensure the vaccines reach the affected areas.
Daniel Ojao, the Clinical Officer at St Pius Health Center III in Lotisan Sub-County, Moroto district reported that the cumulative cases are dropping following emergency campaigns about the outbreak. Village Health Teams have been instrumental in creating awareness and reporting any measles-related cases to the nearest facility for immediate action.
Birungi Mutahunga, the District Health Officer, Kanungu reported that the disease has been confirmed in the sub-county of Kihembe. Samples collected from a child who died on Wednesday and sent to the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe for analysis returned positive for measles. Additionally, there are 10 other suspected cases with patients showing measles-related symptoms in the sub-county.
Longino Mujurizi, the Kanungu District Health Educator, stated that the district task force has been revived to sensitize the public and encourage reporting of any suspected cases to management. Health workers across the district have been instructed to screen patients for measles symptoms whenever they visit health facilities.
Ambrose Mwesigye Blackman, the Kanungu Resident District Commissioner, suspects that the disease may have spread to Kanungu from the neighbouring Eastern DRC, where locals rarely carry out immunization. The task force has begun sensitizing residents to avoid crossing into the DRC and urging locals to take their children for immunization.
Global childhood immunization coverage stalled in 2023, leaving 2.7 million additional children un- and under-vaccinated compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, according to data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
The latest WHO and UNICEF estimates of national immunization coverage (WUENIC), which provide the world’s largest and most comprehensive dataset on immunization trends for vaccinations against 14 diseases, underscore the need for ongoing catch-up, recovery, and system-strengthening efforts.
Despite modest progress in some regions, including the African region and low-income countries, the latest estimates highlight the need to accelerate efforts to meet the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) targets of 90 percent coverage and no more than 6.5 million ‘zero-dose’ children globally by 2030.
According to UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, closing the immunization gap requires a global effort, with governments, partners, and local leaders investing in primary healthcare and community workers to ensure every child gets vaccinated and that overall healthcare is strengthened.
The number of children who received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) in 2023 stalled at 84 percent (108 million). However, the number of children who did not receive a single dose of the vaccine increased from 13.9 million in 2022 to 14.5 million in 2023.
More than half of unvaccinated children live in 31 countries with fragile, conflict-affected, and vulnerable settings, where children are especially vulnerable to preventable diseases due to disruptions and lack of access to security, nutrition, and health services.
With these findings, WHO calls for more action to reach everyone, everywhere with vaccines. While there’s been modest progress in some regions, including the African region and low-income countries, the latest estimates highlight the need to accelerate efforts to meet the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) targets of 90 percent coverage and no more than 6.5 million ‘zero-dose’ children globally by 2030.
