Philip Smith, the Acting British High Commissioner to Uganda said, “It is critical that we work with the Government of Uganda to counter this outbreak…reports Asian Lite News
The British High Commission in Kampala has announced that the UK will provide £1 million to Baylor College of Medicine and the Infectious Disease Institute to support Uganda’s response to the current Mpox outbreak. The support delivered through these expert partners will be aligned to the Government of Uganda’s overall Mpox respond plan. The funding will strengthen co-ordination of the response; surveillance, and risk communication and community engagement.
Philip Smith, the Acting British High Commissioner to Uganda said, “It is critical that we work with the Government of Uganda to counter this outbreak. We are pleased to announce this additional funding is being released immediately to support a timely response. The UK’s support will work in affected districts to improve the response to the outbreak on the ground. The UK will stand with the Government and people of Uganda in tackling this outbreak.”
Hon. Jane Ruth Aceng, Minister for Health said, “We acknowledge that our collaboration with the UK dates back several years. The UK has always been a key partner with the Government of Uganda on our outbreak response. We appreciate the £1 million contribution via implementing partners Baylor Uganda and Infectious Disease Institute in supporting us respond efficiently to the Mpox outbreak.”
The support package builds on previous assistance the UK has provided Uganda. In October 2022, the UK contributed £2.2 million (UGX 9.3 billion) – and technical experts to support the Government of Uganda’s response to the Ebola outbreak. Between 2018 and 2020 the UK contributed nearly £10 million – over UGX40 billion – to support Ebola preparedness in Uganda. This has improved the Government of Uganda’s ability to respond to the current outbreak. For example, ambulances previously purchased by the UK via the WFP, and subsequently donated to the Uganda Red Cross, are now being used.
Meanwhile, Uganda’s Ministry of Health has warned that the monkeypox outbreak is quickly spreading in the East African country.
During the 30th Annual Health Sub-Program Joint Review Mission, Minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng spoke of a “quite fast trend” in monkeypox cases across the country, with at least 19 districts affected since the outbreak was declared in early August.
She said Uganda is following closely behind the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi in the number of confirmed cases of the highly viral disease in Africa.
“They [cases] are a little too many. In the last few days, the numbers of confirmed cases are increasing quite fast,” said Aceng. “I want to remind the districts to reactivate the taskforces and do your work. The partners [development agencies] on ground will support you. We all must rise up to the job and ensure that we control monkeypox as quickly as possible.”
Uganda confirmed its first monkeypox death as the cumulative number of laboratory-confirmed infections hit 164 in the country.
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which spreads through close contact. Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle aches, skin rash, and back pain.