By Patrick Loboe and Alexander Mackey Okori
The health workers in Karenga District are struggling to contain the measles outbreak following stock out of vaccine amidst a surge in accumulative cases.
Measles outbreak in the district was confirmed by the Ministry of Health on March 2, 2026, following positive laboratory results from blood samples of five suspected cases.
Dr. Andrew Ilukol, the District Health Officer (DHO) of Karenga District, reported that the patients were admitted to Karenga Health Centre IV on February 14, 2026, and their samples were subsequently transmitted to the Uganda Virus Research Institute for confirmation.
“As of Wednesday, March 11, 2026, the district had recorded a cumulative total of 56 cases, with one death. There are currently 32 active cases,” Dr. Ilukol said in a telephone interview.
Dr. Ilukol reported that the 32 patients are receiving treatment at the Karenga Health Centre IV isolation center.
Dr. Ilukol revealed that 64 contacts of the patient and the suspects have so far been traced by the district surveillance team in the past two weeks
Kangole and Church of Uganda wards in Karenga town Council, Kakwang central village in Kakwang Sub-county and Lobalangit Sub-county are the most hit areas, according to Dr. Ilukol.
In a bid to curtail the increase in cases, the district health department embarked on a mass vaccination campaign in the affected areas, targeting all children aged 6-56 months using 2,390 doses the district had received from the ministry of health late last year.
However, Dr. Andrew confirmed a depletion of vaccine supplies despite a surge in measles cases, but said the district has written to the ministry of health requesting for more vaccine supplies.
“We have written to the Ministry of Health requesting for more vaccines because the demand is now high following the measles outbreak. When we receive more vaccines we shall inform the public and resume the vaccination exercise”, Dr. Ilukol revealed.
Dr. Nicholas Banya, the charge of Karenga health Centre IV, said the situation is worsened by limited space at the facility and understaffing.
He stated that the facility is facing significant space limitations and a shortage of healthcare personnel to handle the overwhelming number of patients admitted to the isolation Centre.
“Currently, only three health workers are attending to the 32 patients admitted at the isolation center. We require additional healthcare personnel to assist in treating patients and to support the mass vaccination program in the affected communities,” urged Dr. Banya.
Dr. Banya is worried that the facility’s capacity may be exceeded if the disease spreads to other parts of the district, potentially hindering efforts to control it.
“Much as measles cases are concentrated in Karenga Town Council, our fear is that if the disease spreads to other communities and patients are referred to Karenga Health Centre IV, we may not be able to admit them due to limited space,” Dr. Banya stated.
In order to prevent further spread of the disease, Dr. Banya said that the district and sub-county disease surveillance teams are currently conducting a community mobilization campaign to raise awareness about the outbreak, aiming to prevent further spread of the disease.
What to Know About Measles.
Measles, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) is a highly contagious, serious airborne viral disease caused by a Morbillivirus that primarily affects children and it spreads through droplets from the nose, mouth, or throat of infected persons.
Its signs and symptoms include; high fever, rash, cough, and red eyes, and can lead to severe complications like pneumonia, blindness, or encephalitis.
The World Health Orgainsation highlights that measles can cause severe diarrhea, blindness, brain inflammation (encephalitis), and pneumonia.
Unvaccinated young children and pregnant persons are at highest risk of severe measles complications
Despite a safe vaccine, it remains a leading cause of childhood death globally.
In 2024, there were an estimated 95 000 measles deaths globally, mostly among unvaccinated or under vaccinated children under the age of 5 years.
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