Uganda has started a trial vaccination programme for the strain of Ebola viral infection that is behind the country’s latest outbreak. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the number of confirmed cases has risen to three.

Earlier, the East African country announced an outbreak of Ebola in the capital, Kampala, with a single case, a nurse who died on Jan. 29.

Ministry of Health Spokesperson Emmanuel Ainebyoona told Reuters that the total number of cases has now risen to three, with two additional cases from the family of the deceased nurse.

In a post on the X platform, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO director for Africa, said Uganda had also started a clinical trial of a vaccine against the Sudan strain of Ebola.

Currently, there is no approved vaccine for that strain. The existing vaccination is for the Zaire strain, which is behind a recent outbreak in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

“This marks a major milestone in public health emergency response and demonstrates the power of collaboration for global health security,” Moeti said.

“If proven effective, the vaccine will further strengthen measures to protect communities from future outbreaks.”

Bruce Kirenga, who heads Makerere Lung Institute, a research organisation that is doing the trial, told local media during the launch of the vaccination that it had been developed by the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and that the institute had received about 2,460 doses.

The health ministry also said that the trial would target contacts of confirmed cases.

A high-fatality disease, Ebola infection symptoms include haemorrhage, headache and muscle pains. The virus is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissue.

The Kano State Hospital Management Board has restated commitment to quality healthcare service delivery in the state.

The Executive Secretary of the board, Dr Mansur Nagoda stated this during the inauguration of the state-wide hospital inspection exercise, on Monday in Kano.

He said the board in collaboration with the ministry of health would inspect healthcare facilities in urban and rural areas of the state.

Nagoda said the exercise aimed at encouraging positive attitudinal change among medical workers, to ensure that interventions were properly utilised.

He said the exercise would also guard against alleged hoarding and diversion of medical commodities provided by the state government.

“We are also paying unscheduled visits to health facilities to mainly assess their sanitary conditions and see how the services are being rendered.

“The major issues we largely concentrate on will include checking of staff roster for all cadres to know professional relationships among staff to avoid unwanted rivalry,” he said.

Nagoda said the state government had rolled out free delivery kits; free accident and emergency items, free cleansing items for general sanitation of facilities and maintenance of proper hygienic condition, among workers.

The gesture, he said, would provide succour and improve the welfare of patients in the state.

Some of the facilities visited include Murtala Muhammad Specialists Hospital; Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital, Sir Muhammad Sanusi Specialist Hospital, Sheik Muhammad Jidda General Hospital, and Yadakunya General Hospital.

The Borno State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (BOSCHMA) has enrolled 97,000 beneficiaries under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) and disbursed over N1.2 billion to primary healthcare facilities in the last three years.

Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr. Abbah Saleh-Kaza, disclosed this on Monday during the 2024 Performance Review exercise in Maiduguri, stressing that family health services remain a priority.

“Reducing maternal mortality is a priority for us, and we continue to focus on providing quality healthcare to mothers and children in the state,” he said. He added that 22,000 pregnant women and 14,000 children had been enrolled since the scheme’s inception.

Saleh-Kaza highlighted the impact of the N1.2 billion capitation payment on improving healthcare services. “In 2024 alone, the state government allocated N699 million for capitation to primary healthcare centers. Since the inception of the BHCPF, we have consistently paid capitation on time, even in the absence of federal government funds,” he said.

The agency also disbursed N40 million in fee-for-service payments to 172 secondary healthcare facilities in 2024, up from N20.5 million in 2023 and N600,000 in 2022. According to Saleh-Kaza, this initiative has strengthened referrals between primary and secondary healthcare facilities, significantly improving service delivery.

“With the introduction of an electronic referral system, we have seen a significant improvement in the efficiency of our healthcare services. We have N300 million reserved for referrals this year and are committed to utilizing at least 50 per cent of the funds to enhance healthcare delivery,” he noted.

The agency also treated about 15,000 enrollees for malaria, hypertension, diabetes, dental, and eye conditions. Saleh-Kaza acknowledged a rising prevalence of mental health cases, prompting a partnership with the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Maiduguri.

“One of the challenges we face is the increasing number of mental health cases, and we are working to establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital to ensure that our patients receive the best possible care,” he said.

Despite these strides, he identified poverty as a major barrier to healthcare access in the state. “Our state remains one of the most impoverished in Nigeria, and we must do more to ensure that everyone, especially the poor and vulnerable, has access to quality healthcare. This is not just a healthcare issue; it is a humanitarian one,” he emphasized.

He appealed for additional funding to expand services and increase enrolment, while commending Governor Babagana Zulum for his support in strengthening healthcare delivery.

Meanwhile, Dr. Muhammed Guluze, Permanent Secretary, Administration, Government House, Maiduguri, underscored the importance of the performance review in improving health outcomes and urged stakeholders to engage actively.

Ahmed Jamal, Secretary of the National Health Insurance Agency (NHIA), lauded BOSCHMA for achieving 97 per cent of its targets and stressed the need for strong stakeholder engagement to attain Universal Health Coverage (UHC).