By Edward Byamukama
Kagadi district local government has this morning kicked off the rollout the mass vaccination against the highly contagious Measles Rubella that has already claimed five lives since its outbreak in February, 2025.
According to the Kagadi District Health Officer (DHO) Theodora Kajumba, all children between zero to 15 years are set to be vaccinated against measles starting today. She says the vaccination exercise will be carried out at all government health centres and a few selected private health facilities done by medics with the support of Village Health Teams (VHTs).
She has warned parents against resisting the exercise citing an example of some parents especially in Ndaiga Sub-County who in the previous campaigns refuse to take their children for immunization frustrating their efforts in containing the outbreak.
The outbreak started in February, affecting the sub-counties of Kyakabadima, Kyaterekera, and Ndaiga. The officials suspected measles and sent samples to the Ministry of Health, which later confirmed the outbreak.
The outbreak initially claimed three lives, prompting health officials to put in place measures to control its spread and ensure early treatment. However, despite these efforts, new cases have emerged, leading to two more deaths.
Measles patients present symptoms such as skin rash, red eyes, running nose, headaches, fever, and general body weakness.
