Dr Annet Kisakye Honoured for Transformative Work in Immunization

Kampala, Uganda– The Government of Uganda thru Ministry of Well being (MOH) has recognised Dr Annet Kisakye, the World Well being Group (WHO) National First fee Officer (Routine Immunization) for her outstanding contributions to improving immunization services and products in Uganda. 

The award became once presented to Dr Kisakye by Dr Sania Nishtar, Chief Government Officer of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance on 19 November 2024 in Kampala. This became once during the occasion of fifty years of Uganda’s Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI).

With over 15 years of ride at WHO, Dr Kisakye has equipped technical guidance and fortify to MOH in several areas including strengthening routine immunization, introducing unusual vaccines, the polio eradication initiative, eliminating measles, strengthening surveillance, eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus including outbreak and pandemic response activities among others. Her work has straight contributed to preventing disease outbreaks and saving lives thru vaccination in the nation.

Dr Kisakye performed a pivotal role in a marketing campaign to attach lives against Cholera infection when the nation started vaccinating the individuals living in 13 hotspot districts as fraction of the national integrated comprehensive cholera prevention and sustain watch over opinion 2017/18-2021/22. Since then, no outbreaks grasp been registered in these districts. 

The recognition, according to Dr Kisakye, is a testomony to the collective efforts of many dedicated individuals, partners, and communities dedicated to improving public health. She feels inspired to continue striving for a extra match future for all Ugandans.

Dr Kisakye supported the roll out of the Ebola vaccine in Uganda in 2018. She became once a co-Principal Investigator, supervising over 100 individuals in the big, pressing effort. That is in line with the existence direction system as stipulated in the Immunization Agenda 2030. The roll out required lickety-split vaccination of 6,805 at-risk health workers in 13 districts between November 2018 and September 2019, racing against time to present security against Ebola Zaire species before any importation.

“We also needed to isolate and video display four health workers on the border for symptoms of suspected Ebola virus disease, to pause doable transmission. All were already vaccinated, nonetheless it became once peaceable a worrying time for them. Nobody died or became seriously ill, illustrating clearly that vaccines work and attach lives,” says Dr Kisakye.

The recognition, according to Dr Kisakye, is a testomony to the collective efforts of many dedicated individuals, partners, and communities dedicated to improving public health. She feels inspired to continue striving for a extra match future for all Ugandans, specifically in this generation the build vaccine hesitancy—a neatly-known world risk—is contributing to the resurgence of vaccine-preventable illnesses corresponding to measles. 

Dr Kisakye’s coronary heart aches when she sees a toddler suffering from a vaccine-preventable disease, specifically when vaccines and these to administer them are readily on hand. She advocates for Innovations to vaccinate all eligible persons.

A medical doctor with a grasp’s level in public health, Dr Annet Kisakye ran medical wards in public and non-public hospitals in Kampala before joining WHO. She started working as Uganda’s Immunization and Surveillance Officer, expanding her portfolio over time to include a vary of vaccine preventable illnesses and Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response. 

Congratulations to Dr Kisakye!

The WHO family proudly celebrates her challenging-earned award, honouring the plenty of contribution to the health sector over the final Two decades and beyond.