The Ministry of Health has challenged local government leaders in Busoga Sub-region to intensify community mobilisation ahead of a nationwide five-day Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign targeting children aged nine months to five years.
The campaign will run from October 1 to 5, 2026, with all children in the targeted age group expected to receive the vaccine, regardless of whether they have previously been vaccinated.
Speaking to leaders from local governments across Busoga Sub-region in Jinja City, the Ministry of Health Commissioner in charge of Epidemics and Disease Surveillance, Dr Allan Muruta, said strong community mobilisation would be critical to ensuring that no eligible child is left behind.
Muruta said vaccination remains one of the safest and most effective ways of protecting children from measles and rubella, diseases that can cause serious complications and deaths among young children.
He warned that Uganda has experienced a resurgence of measles outbreaks in several districts over the past three years, with many of the affected children having missed earlier vaccination opportunities.
“Immunisation is the safest means of safeguarding our children from endless measles outbreaks,” Muruta said, urging leaders to use their influence to ensure parents understand the importance of the campaign.
He called on local government leaders to use community meetings, religious gatherings and other platforms available to them to educate parents about the benefits of the Measles-Rubella vaccine and encourage them to take their children for vaccination.
Muruta also urged leaders to work closely with district vaccination focal persons to address misinformation and dispel myths that continue to discourage some parents from vaccinating their children. He said coordinated information sharing between health workers, local leaders and communities would help build confidence in the campaign and increase vaccine uptake.
At Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, Senior Executive Consultant Alfred Yayi acknowledged that Uganda’s vaccination programme has generally achieved significant coverage but said misinformation remains a major threat to protecting children from preventable diseases
.Yayi said some parents and family heads continue to discourage spouses from taking children for routine and mass vaccination exercises, leaving the children vulnerable to diseases that can be prevented through immunisation.
He said the involvement of Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs), sub-county leadership committees and village health teams would strengthen mobilisation and ensure that information about the campaign reaches households at the grassroots.
Yayi expressed confidence that a stronger community mobilisation network would improve vaccination coverage among under-five children and ultimately reduce deaths caused by preventable diseases.
However, Mayuge District Chairperson David Zijja said some communities in the region remain difficult to reach because of misinformation propagated by religious groups and other influential individuals.
Zijja cited the “Njiri Nkalu” cult among groups that, according to him, discourage followers from participating in government programmes, including vaccination. He said some followers had been made to believe that receiving vaccines could expose them to the “evil number 666,” a belief they associate with the biblical Book of Revelation.
Zijja also identified fear of pain as another barrier, saying some parents believe their children are subjected to too many vaccines and may suffer unnecessarily during vaccination. He said district leaders across Busoga had responded by establishing vaccination committees tasked with mobilising communities, promoting accurate information and ensuring that eligible children are brought forward for vaccination.
Zijja warned that individuals who deliberately spread misinformation and obstruct the vaccination campaign could face arrest and prosecution, in accordance with the law. With the October campaign fast approaching, health officials are now calling on parents to make vaccination a priority and on local government leaders to use their influence to ensure that every eligible child in Busoga gets protected.
The Ministry of Health says the success of the campaign will ultimately depend not only on the availability of vaccines, but also on parents trusting the information they receive and leaders taking responsibility for mobilising their communities-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
