The International Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) has announced funding to the Uganda Red Cross Society to deliver immediate assistance to some 2,135,700 beneficiaries.
Michael Nataka, Uganda Red Cross Secretary General
The DREF is a vital part of the International Federation’s disaster response system and increases the ability of national societies to respond to disasters.
The orgnaisation in a statement announced that CHF 195,182 (USD 209,185 or EUR 156,390) has been allocated from the Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the Uganda Red Cross Society to meet the needs of people affected by a recent yellow fever outbreak in the country.
Three decades since the last case of yellow fever was reported in the 1970s, Uganda experienced the reemergence of this deadly viral epidemic that started in November 2010 in the Northern Region.
Initially, the disease was wrongly diagnosed as plague – only on 23 December 2010 the diagnosis for yellow fever was confirmed by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). By 29 December 2010, 10 districts were already affected with 190 cases and 48 fatalities recorded. The exact prevalence and incidence of yellow fever in Uganda is not known, however, the country lies within the yellow fever endemic zone in Africa that poses a threat of an outbreak due to proximity to some of the countries reporting cases, according to the relief web.
The Government of Uganda’s Ministry of Health with other partners are planning to conduct emergency vaccination campaign in the 10 affected districts targeting over 2,135,700 residents and the Uganda Red Cross Society proposes to support this intervention through intensive social mobilization activities that will promote public awareness about yellow fever, the risk factors for its transmission, its prevention and control as well as encourage the uptake of the vaccines.
This operation is expected to be implemented over 2 months, according to the media statement.