Ministry of Health has today began a nationwide measles-rubella vaccination campaign targeting all children aged nine months to five years, with health officials warning communities against misinformation and attempts to undermine the exercise.

The five-day campaign, running from October 1 to 5, will cover all eligible children regardless of their previous vaccination status as the Ministry of Health seeks to close immunity gaps and prevent further measles outbreaks.

The campaign follows a resurgence of measles in several parts of the country, including Lango Sub-region in northern Uganda.

According to the Ministry, vaccination teams will use a parish-based, village-to-village mobile strategy, while Village Health Teams (VHTs) will mobilize households and help identify children who need vaccination.

Dr. Charles Akiya Oyoo, the Ministry of Health Commissioner for Non-Communicable Diseases, said the campaign is part of a broader strategy to address communicable and non-communicable diseases while preventing future epidemics. He has called on leaders and communities to support the campaign and warned against attempts to sabotage government health programs.

Uganda confirmed 66 separate measles outbreaks in 2025, according to health authorities, including a cluster of deaths in an underserved region.

The World Health Organization says Uganda has conducted measles vaccination campaigns since 2003, with the latest nationwide campaign held in 2022. However, routine immunization coverage for the two recommended measles-rubella (MR) doses has remained below the 95 per cent threshold considered necessary to achieve herd immunity.