As Uganda battles to control a cholera outbreak that has so far killed 44 Congolese refugees in the Lake Albert region, the Ministry of Health says it will undertake a mass oral vaccination starting next month.

This will be the first time Uganda is using the Oral Cholera Vaccine since the World Health Organisation established a stockpile of the vaccine for use in 2013.

The WHO recommends that vaccination against cholera be considered in emergencies and other high-risk scenarios where there is increased threat of outbreaks.

It also comes at a time when several countries across Africa are battling cholera that has left hundreds of people dead.

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease that can kill within a few hours if left untreated.

Dr Charles Olaro, the acting director for health services said that for the first phase of the campaign, 360,000 doses of the vaccine have been procured with funding support from the WHO, the UN Children’s Fund and the Vaccine Alliance.

Those targeted for vaccination are residents of the five sub-counties of Hoima District and refugees from the Kyanggwali refugee settlement, which hosts mostly Congolese refugees.

The drive will then be extended in the last half of the year to the districts of Buliisa, Packwach, Nebbi, Kasese, Ntoroko, Zombo, Moyo, Busia, Namayingo and Arua.

Dr Olaro said the vaccine reduces an individual’s risk of getting sick or dying of cholera.

“The vaccine is administered orally to anyone above the age of one. It is administered in two doses, which are given two weeks apart and protects the recipients for up to five years at a time,” said Dr Olaro added.