By Shamim Nateebwa.
The Ministry of Health is set to embark on use of the Oral Cholera Vaccine to prevent future outbreaks of the disease in Uganda.
This comes days after the outbreak of cholera was confirmed in Kampala and other remote parts of the country with atleast 7 cases being handled at Naguru hospital.
The state minister for health Sarah Opendi says vaccination against cholera will be rolled out in two month as another approach to prevent the epidemic.
She however notes that cholera vaccination will not replace the other interventions, but will serve as a complementary measure to fight the disease.
Other cholera interventions include social mobilization and community empowerment, promotion of access to safe water, good sanitation, surveillance and laboratory confirmation of outbreaks.
According to Center for Disease Control, Cholera is an acute, diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholera, characterized by watery diarrhea, vomiting and leg cramps.
CDC warns that without treatment, death can occur within hours.
