By Mike Rwothomio

The Mungulony Con religious sect in Zombo District has agreed to participate in this year’s mass vaccination campaign, marking a major breakthrough for local health officials who previously faced stiff resistance from the group.

According to the health department, this change of heart provides a significant boost to the Zombo District Health Department’s efforts to overcome past vaccine hesitancy.

The Mungulony Con, a religious sect known for firm resistance to vaccinating their children, would often hide them from such exercises, sometimes taking them across the border into the Democratic Republic of Congo, because they believe vaccination is unreligious.

Zombo District aims to vaccinate 51,561 children across homes and schools during the nationwide, free Measles-Rubella (MR) Vaccination Campaign.

During a district task force meeting on Tuesday, 29 September, District Health Officer Dr. Mark Bramali confirmed that the sect has officially pledged its full support for the exercise.

“The group has assured us that they will support the vaccination campaign. We hope they will stick to this commitment,” Dr. Bramali said.

The nationwide five-day immunization drive, running from 1–5 October, aims to protect at least 7.4 million children across Uganda.

It targets all children aged 9–59 months (nine months to under five years), regardless of prior vaccination status, as a booster to close immunity gaps.

 Vaccination is free and will be delivered through health facilities, schools, outreach posts, and community sites.

To meet its ambitious coverage target of over 95 percent, Zombo District has already secured a supply of 53,500 vaccine doses.

Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Festus Ayikobua issued a strong warning against " anyone attempting to de-campaign or sabotage the exercise"

Meanwhile, Dradiku Christopher Azaba, the Regional Public Health Emergency Operations Center Coordinator from Arua Regional Referral Hospital, emphasized the critical need for a multi-stakeholder sensitization campaign to educate the public.

The national launch is scheduled for 1 October 2026 in Wakiso District.

Authorities aim to reach at least 95% of the estimated 7,864,794 eligible children, equivalent to approximately 7.47 million children, including those in refugee communities.

In 2025, Uganda confirmed 66 separate measles outbreaks across the country, with a cluster of deaths in an underserved region. The outbreaks hit hardest among young children who had never received a single dose of the vaccine.

Rubella remains a concern due to the risk of congenital rubella syndrome if infection occurs during pregnancy.

The campaign addresses recurring measles outbreaks driven by immunity gaps from missed routine doses linked to earlier disruptions including COVID-19 effects, population movements, and coverage shortfalls, the highly contagious nature of measles, and the need to prevent further morbidity, mortality, and congenital complications from rubella.

It seeks to boost population immunity, interrupt transmission, and strengthen overall immunization resilience.

As Uganda prepares for its nationwide Measles-Rubella Follow-up Campaign in October 2026, the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), and partners have spent the past year reviewing performance, investigating outbreaks, and listening to caregivers to rebuild the response around what evidence shows.

Uganda has conducted measles vaccination campaigns since 2003, with the latest nationwide campaign in 2022.

However, routine immunization coverage for the two doses of MR has remained below the 95% threshold needed to achieve herd immunity.

According to WHO, In 2025, only 43% of districts reached the target for the first measles-rubella dose, and just 21 of 146 districts achieved the target for the second dose.

Among confirmed measles cases during the 2025 outbreaks, 64% had never received a single vaccine dose, and none of the cases investigated had received both recommended doses.

“The recurring outbreaks remind us that too many children are still missing life-saving measles vaccines,” says Dr Annet Kisakye, Immunization Officer at WHO Uganda. “Strengthening routine immunization and ensuring that every eligible child receives both doses remains our best defense against future outbreaks.”

Zombo District task force members for a meeting at the district headquarters.

Mike Rwothomio is news editor at Zoomer Africa, your number one grassroot information hub for African news trends and updates.