Schools Urged to Support Ongoing Measles-Rubella Vaccination Campaign

The District leaders have called on schools, parents and caregivers to support the ongoing National Measles-Rubella Vaccination Campaign, emphasising the need for strong cooperation to ensure all eligible children are reached.The campaign, implemented by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with local governments and partners, targets children aged between nine months and five years.Health officials in Wakiso have, however, raised concern over limited participation by some schools, with about 60 percent of schools yet to make arrangements to facilitate vaccination of eligible children as of Saturday, October 3.The Assistant District Health Officer, Ms Betty Nabuganda, said health teams visiting some schools had faced challenges accessing eligible children.She noted that some private schools had requested parental consent forms before permitting authorised health workers to vaccinate children.Ms Nabuganda called on all educational institutions—including government, private and international schools—to cooperate with authorised health teams and facilitate the vaccination exercise.She encouraged school administrators to provide suitable space for vaccination, support the safe and orderly organisation of pupils and share accurate information about the campaign with parents and caregivers.Wakiso District Chairperson, Eng. Ian Kyeyune, said the district was considering appropriate administrative measures against institutions that fail to cooperate with public health interventions.He emphasised that schools have a responsibility to safeguard the wellbeing of children under their care and should work closely with government health teams during the campaign.Eng. Kyeyune also reassured parents about the safety of the measles-rubella vaccine, noting that it has undergone the required testing and approval processes.Dr Emmanuel Mukisa, the Ministry of Health Regional Supervisor for the Measles-Rubella Campaign in Wakiso, urged schools and parents to use the remaining campaign period to ensure that all eligible children receive the vaccine.He further reminded institutions that vaccination is an important public health intervention and that the Public Health Act provides for government action where mass immunisation is required to protect communities.The Wakiso District Senior Education Officer, Ms Janat Nakabugo Ssali, said the district is working with schools to promote compliance with public health requirements.She urged school administrators to cooperate with health teams and ensure that eligible children are given the opportunity to receive the vaccine.Wakiso District has approximately 3,050 private primary schools, 699 Early Childhood Centres and 167 government primary schools, making the cooperation of education institutions critical to achieving high vaccination coverage.The Measles-Rubella Vaccination Campaign is part of government efforts to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases and strengthen community health.