By Ouni Jaspher
The Ministry of Health in Uganda hosted its first monthly media breakfast meeting today to discuss the status of routine immunization in the country.
Dr. Michael Baganizi, Program Manager UNEPI gave an overview of the 14 vaccines administered in the routine immunization schedule and highlighted the importance of timely completion of vaccination.
Dr. Baganizi also informed that Uganda has now moved to the single dose of HPV vaccine, a vaccine administered to all 10 year old girls to prevent Cervical Cancer.
The event was graced by the presence of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Diana Atwine, who highlighted the crucial role of media engagements in sustaining immunization coverage.
Dr. Atwine emphasized the importance of media engagements in reminding the public of the progress made in sustaining immunization coverage.
Speaking about the Malaria vaccine, Dr. Atwine called upon parents to ensure that all children complete all four doses of the Malaria vaccine in order to prevent severity of the disease.
“Cancer is increasing exponentially. One of the biggest killer diseases of women is Cervical Cancer. Once we immunize all girls aged 10 years old, the whole generation is protected from Cervical Cancer” Dr. Atwine said.
The media remain key allies in combating misinformation and mobilizing communities to vaccinate their children in a timely manner.
