Uganda’s Plan to End Yellow Fever Epidemics by 2026

Uganda’s health ministry has launched a campaign to end the yellow fever epidemic in the country by 2026. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Contol and Prevention, about 30,000 people die from yellow fever each year, with approximately 90 percent in Africa. Infants and older people are most at risk. So the impact of this disease is more heavily felt by women, who are most often burdened with caregiving. 

On today’s episode of The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, we visit Uganda, one of 27 high-risk countries in Africa working with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners to try to end the yellow fever epidemic by 2026. First, reporter Leah Kahunde helps us better understand the state of yellow fever in Uganda. She speaks with health journalist Beatrice Nyangoma, whose investigative reporting forced officials to confront flaws in their vaccination procedures. Then, host Reena Ninan talks to two WHO experts about Uganda’s current yellow fever vaccination campaign: Pamela Bakkabulindi, an immunization consultant in Uganda, and Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, the deputy director for disease control and program manager for the immunization program at the Ghana Health Service.