By: Melanie Aanyu

Uganda is set to receive a hundred doses of a trial vaccine being developed to prevent the Ebola Sudan strain.

Dr. Tegegn Woldemariam, the WHO country representative revealed this yesterday- Thursday 06th Oct ,2022 at a weekly WHO Africa press conference.

He explained that there are two trial drugs being studied whose safety data has been obtained for the strain, but the country is set to receive one that is in more advanced stages.

The trial vaccine will be provided by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Sabin Vaccine Institute.

He said because the supplies are limited, the model being taken in the roll-out of this vaccine that is expected in the country in a week’s time, will only be used to vaccinate immediate contacts of confirmed Ebola Sudan strain cases.

Woldemariam added that the vaccine may be available in a week since many of the necessary approvals have already been done.

Meanwhile, the country has recorded a cumulative 44 confirmed cases of Ebola where ten including health workers have since succumbed. Also, up to a thousand contacts of these cases are being followed up.

Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, the Health Minister visited Mubende Regional Referral hospital on Thursday and reassured the country’s efforts to control further transmission are in high gear