Kampala, Uganda– The Government of Uganda by Ministry of Health (MOH) has recognised Dr Annet Kisakye, the World Health Group (WHO) Nationwide Official Officer (Routine Immunization) for her outstanding contributions to improving immunization products and companies in Uganda.
The award change into equipped to Dr Kisakye by Dr Sania Nishtar, Chief Government Officer of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance on 19 November 2024 in Kampala. This change into during the party of fifty years of Uganda’s Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI).
With over 15 years of abilities at WHO, Dr Kisakye has equipped technical guidance and reinforce to MOH in loads of areas including strengthening routine immunization, introducing current vaccines, the polio eradication initiative, eliminating measles, strengthening surveillance, eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus including outbreak and pandemic response actions amongst others. Her work has at as soon as contributed to preventing illness outbreaks and saving lives by vaccination in the country.
Dr Kisakye performed a pivotal role in a marketing campaign to place lives against Cholera infection when the country started vaccinating the other folks living in 13 hotspot districts as fragment of the nationwide integrated comprehensive cholera prevention and regulate belief 2017/18-2021/22. Since then, no outbreaks had been registered in these districts.
The recognition, according to Dr Kisakye, is a testomony to the collective efforts of many devoted individuals, partners, and communities committed 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 change into a co-Principal Investigator, supervising over 100 other folks in the good, urgent effort. That is in line with the existence route potential as stipulated in the Immunization Agenda 2030. The roll out required rapid vaccination of 6,805 at-probability health workers in 13 districts between November 2018 and September 2019, racing against time to provide safety against Ebola Zaire species before any importation.
“We also had to isolate and computer screen four health workers on the border for symptoms of suspected Ebola virus illness, to stop doubtless transmission. All had been already vaccinated, nonetheless it change into quiet a worrying time for them. No one died or grew to turn into severely ill, illustrating clearly that vaccines work and put lives,” says Dr Kisakye.
The recognition, according to Dr Kisakye, is a testomony to the collective efforts of many devoted individuals, partners, and communities committed to improving public health. She feels inspired to continue striving for a extra match future for all Ugandans, especially in this generation the keep vaccine hesitancy—a successfully-known global probability—is contributing to the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases akin to measles.
Dr Kisakye’s heart aches when she sees a youngster suffering from a vaccine-preventable illness, especially when vaccines and these to administer them are readily obtainable. She advocates for Innovations to vaccinate all eligible persons.
A scientific physician with a master’s level in public health, Dr Annet Kisakye ran scientific 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 differ of vaccine preventable diseases and Integrated Illness Surveillance and Response.
Congratulations to Dr Kisakye!
The WHO family proudly celebrates her challenging-earned award, honouring the primary contribution to the health sector during the final Two decades and former.
