Uganda News

Kampala, 19th June 2019: Uganda is hosting the first ever African Hepatitis Summit. The summit is aimed at rallying partners and countries to eliminate Viral Hepatitis in Africa. The theme for the summit is, "Eliminating Viral Hepatitis in Africa; Implementing the Viral Hepatitis Strategy". The event which has brought together participants from over 25 countries, will provide an opportunity for countries to develop and work towards implementing action plans, sharing best practices and lessons learnt from each other in the fight against Viral Hepatitis.

Kampala, 17 June 2019: – The Ministry of Health received the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to assess the response to the current Ebola outbreak in Kasese District, Western Uganda.

Dr. Tedros held meetings in Entebbe while on his way from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where he visited the Ebola hotspots, Butembo and Katwa. This is his third visit to Uganda since the Ebola outbreak was declared in August 2018 in DRC.

Kasese, 17th June 2019:- The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak that was declared on 11th June 2019 after detection of the disease in a 5-year-old boy has put Uganda’s experience in managing hemorrhagic fevers and the ten-months of preparedness effort under the spotlight. Anxious, yet ready, health workers are responding appropriately to the glare.

Kampala, 11 June 2019 - The Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) have confirmed a case of Ebola virus disease in Uganda. Although there have been numerous previous alerts, this is the first confirmed case in Uganda during the Ebola outbreak ongoing in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Kampala 31 May 2019:- World No Tobacco Day 2019 was commemorated in Uganda with a call to all sectors of government to reach most-at-risk population with strong anti-smoking messages.

“We need to reach out to the people especially in slums because they consume a lot of tobacco and alcohol products which are harmful to their health” said Hon Sarah Opendi, Minister of State for Health who was the guest of honor at the event commemorated under the national theme: Don’t Let Tobacco Take Your Breath Away.

Kampala, 30th May 2019:- The government of Uganda and partners have so far invested over 18 million dollars in  Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)  preparedness and readiness.  This was revealed at the just concluded Accountability Forum organized by the Ministry of Health at which partners shared information on their contribution in the EVD preparedness efforts in the country. 

Entebbe 14th May 2019: The World Health Organization (WHO) is conducting a five-day orientation training to build the capacity of participants from priority countries through theoretical and practical training on two WHO supported tools for epidemiological surveillance and response activities, EWARS-in-a-box and Go.Data.

Kampala, 03 May 2019: – The Ministry of Health has received ten (10) motorcycles from World Health Organization (WHO) with support from Irish Embassy to enhance the surveillance and community engagement pillars in Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) preparedness activities. The motorcycles will enable district officers to mentor health staff at the health facilities and in the communities on the identification of alerts or suspected EVD cases, conduct prompt investigations and raise community index of suspicion for EVD.

Uganda commemorated World Malaria Day (WMD) under the global theme Zero Malaria Status Starts with me. The commemoration was held in Alebtong District with a message to the population to make the elimination of Malaria everyone’s responsibility. The global theme was home grounded and adapted as “It’s a household war, Chase Malaria to Zero” and the slogan as “Prevent the Bite”.

 Kampala, 2nd May 2019: - Uganda’s Minister of Health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng has lauded international partners for supporting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) battle the current Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak and the neighbouring countries in their preparedness and readiness phase. 

“The outbreak in DRC affects everyone and while we have no confirmed cases in the neighbouring countries, preparation is paramount. I thank the partners for their support in both response and preparedness modes during this EVD outbreak,” she said.