Second phase of integrated vaccination campaign surpasses target

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The second phase of the integrated vaccination campaign has surpassed its original target, significantly strengthening routine immunisation across participating districts in Uganda, New Vision Online has heard.

The campaign, headed by Amref Health Africa, in partnership with Uganda's health ministry through the Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunisation (UNEPI), district leadership and the Uganda Red Cross Society, started in March and ended in late November 2025.

The drive targeted 83,200 people aged nine years and above for vaccination against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), Hepatitis B and Yellow Fever. By the close of the project, 95,642 people had been vaccinated, representing 114 per cent of the target, according to Amref.

Speaking about the project’s outcomes, Boniface Hlabano, programme manager for health security at Amref, said the results reflect strong coordination and community trust.

“This success is a result of close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, district leaders, health workers, community volunteers and partners on the ground,” Hlabano said.

Among the participating districts, Nakaseke recorded the highest number of vaccinated people at 20,225, while Nakasongola emerged as the leading district in overall performance, based on district health assessments and reporting quality.

The second phase builds on lessons from the first phase, which largely focused on COVID-19 vaccination. As disease patterns changed, partners shifted to a life-course approach, expanding vaccination to adolescents and adults, a group often left out of routine immunisation programmes.

Dr Patrick Tumusiime Kagurusi, the country manager and deputy country director for Amref Health Africa in Uganda, said the project tackled myths and misconceptions around vaccines, including routine childhood immunisation, through direct household engagement.

“It did not stop with COVID-19 vaccines. Even routine vaccines face misinformation, and we used this opportunity to explain why vaccination is important,” he said.

The project was funded by the Mastercard Foundation through Africa CDC, trained over 1,200 health workers and enabled vaccination of more than 60,000 people aged nine and above, a first in many districts.

Hlabano stressed that men used to think vaccines were not for them. Through community dialogues and engagement with religious and local leaders, we explained that life-course immunisation includes adults. We are now seeing more men turning up for vaccination.

“Over 1,200 health workers were trained in integrated service delivery, data use, and community engagement, but had not received refresher training in years. The training, job aids and planning tools strengthened routine immunisation indicators and improved confidence among health workers,” he said.

Dr Josephine Okwera, the Director of Health and Social Services at Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), said community health remains central to the organisation’s work. The URCS has played a key role in community mobilisation, risk communication and health education.

“Many people know Red Cross for emergency response, but beyond disasters, we focus strongly on disease prevention and health promotion. Community health is at the heart of what we do," Okwera said.

She noted that the Red Cross works through 51 branches and a wide network of trained community volunteers, ensuring sustained engagement beyond short-term projects.

“We do not come for one year and leave, to create real and lasting change, you must stay with communities, educate them, address myths and link them to health facilities,” she said.

Okwera also thanked the Mastercard Foundation, which funded the project through Africa CDC, saying the support strengthened trust, access to information and community ownership.

“We treat information as aid. When people receive correct and trusted information, they are empowered to make the right decisions for their health," she added.

Dr Agaba Byamukama, a senior district health officer in Nakasongola, attributed the strong performance to improved service integration and community mobilisation.

“Nakasongola had been underperforming before, but integration changed everything. We stopped working in silos and started delivering services as one team. Community engagement and proper use of data helped us reach more people than before,” Byamukama said.

He explained that previously, services such as antenatal care, HIV testing, TB screening and immunisation were offered separately, often stretching health workers and confusing communities. Under the project, outreach activities were integrated, allowing communities to access multiple services at once.

As the project closes, partners say the results demonstrate that integrated outreach, strong partnerships and community engagement can significantly boost vaccination coverage if sustained.

Health officials hope lessons from the second phase will inform future national strategies and inspire other districts to adopt integrated, life-course immunisation approaches to protect communities from preventable diseases.