Kampala. Uganda’s Ministry of Health (MoH), with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) today held a high-level partners’ engagement to share information and advocate for collaboration to contain the ongoing mpox outbreak and improve Marburg readiness. 

MoH declared an mpox outbreak in the country on 2 August 2024. As of 14 October 2024, a total of 108 confirmed cases had been detected in Uganda across 16 districts.

Mpox comes at a time when the country is responding to other health emergencies, including measles, polio, and anthrax. Response to multiple outbreaks can strain the healthcare system by overstretching available technical, financial, and logistical resources. Uganda is also on a high alert to prevent any possible importation of Marburg following an outbreak in neighbouring Rwanda. 

“As we continue to respond to the mpox outbreak, we are trying our best to balance between trade, travel and tourism; and ensuring that the economy of the country is not affected,” said Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, Uganda’s Health minister. 

Since the onset of mpox, Uganda has made significant strides in its response. The Ministry of Health, with support from WHO and partners, has been working diligently to strengthen coordination, surveillance, laboratory confirmation, case management, risk communication and community engagement in the affected districts and strengthening the national public health emergency operations centre. 

“We need to contain the disease from spreading to the vulnerable population such as children, pregnant women, and immune-compromised persons, which can result in mortalities. Furthermore, there is a need to avert large institutional outbreaks like schools, prisons and refugee settings,” said Dr. Charles Njuguna, WHO Representative, a.i to Uganda.

To bolster mpox response efforts in Uganda, WHO has so far supported deployment of 66 experts from multi-disciplinary national rapid response teams to 11 affected districts. These are building capacity at the district level. Last month, WHO handed over to the Ministry of Health mpox sample collection kits worth USD 15,135 (equivalent to UgX 56 million) to support accurate and timely diagnostic testing, which is critical in controlling the spread of mpox in the country. 

Acting UN Resident Coordinator in Uganda Mr. Sanusi Tejan Savage rallied the development partners to continue supporting the country’s efforts to combat the mpox outbreak. 

“I call upon our international partners to support Uganda's response efforts, not only through funding but also by sharing expertise, providing technical assistance, and delivering the critical resources needed to halt the spread of this disease,” Sanusi said. “The UN will continue to mobilize its resources, knowledge, and networks to complement Uganda's response, ensuring that no one is left behind in this critical moment.” 

The US Ambassador, William Popp, pledged to the U.S. government’s continued support to the mpox response. He informed the meeting that through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), USD 4.1 million is being provided to WHO, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and University Research Collaborative (URC), to support Uganda’s mpox preparedness and response plan. 

The partners who attended the high-level meeting were from UN agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations and embassies including the United States of America, India, Ethiopia, Russia, Belgium, DR Congo, France, Denmark, the European Union, ECHO, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Japan, and France among others.