The national Polio vaccination campaign was a three-day campaign. Aimed at reaching out to all children below the age of five. The target was to immunize 8.8 million children and also reach out to those who missed routine immunization.  The exercise started on the 14^th of January, 2021, and ended on the 16^th which was a Sunday.

On the 17^th of August 2021, the ministry of health declared Polio a Public Health Emergency in Uganda. This followed the positive laboratory tests from environmental samples in Kampala that confirmed Poliovirus Type 2. The World Health Organization certified Uganda and Africa as wild-Polio virus-free in August 2020.  Transmitted from person to person or through contaminated water or food and multiplies inside the intestines. The virus spends through stool from an unvaccinated child which can cause sore throat, fever, tiredness, stomach ache, and paralysis.

The delivery of essential health services including routine immunization was affected extensively. In the process of mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Children immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases were fewer. This slowdown leads to the rebirth of Polio globally, including in Uganda. By the end of August, the Ministry of Health said that up to two million children had missed out on the Polio Vaccination.

The ministry of health brought it to itself to conduct a nationwide Polio immunization campaign in October and December 2021. During which the health workers were to visit house to house. To vaccinate children under the age of 5 years against Polio.  To ensure children are safely vaccinated without the risk of getting affected with COVID_19. The health workers were to wear masks and follow SOPs.

Briefing from the Minister of Health

Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng the Health Minister told the journalists on Wednesday 12^th that the new exercise will be conducted door to door. And this will be concurrent with the ongoing COVID-19 vaccinations. As a way to pave way for Polio drive, selected facilities across the country were halted. She was accompanied by Yonas Tegen, the World Health Organization representative to Uganda. And Munir Safielden the UNICEF representatives to Uganda. They flagged off immunization cold chain equipment at kololo Independence Grounds, Kampala.

Dr. Aceng confirmed that the equipment will go a long way in improving immunization services across the country. Gavi gave equipment worth USD 8.3 million. The vaccine alliance was given to districts to ease vaccine storage. These include 5 cold rooms, 2,000 compliant vaccine carriers, 1,435 fridges among others.

Launch of the immunization campaign.

The launch of the immunization campaign took place at Wakiso Health Centre IV on Thursday 13^th. On Friday 14^th, 2022 the immunization campaign in Uganda started from parts of Wakiso and Kampala. The parents got to know about the campaign through news and adverts on radios, television, and newspapers. The health workers moved from door to door while vaccinating the children. Even those at school. Since the immunization come at a time when children had gone back to school.

Some parents hid their children. They face a risk of having disabilities if not vaccinated. The consent of the parents in the case of immunization is not of importance says the health workers.

Dr. Alfred Driwale, the Programme Manager of the Uganda Expanded program on immunization (UNEPI) told URN. That the number of immunized children has been pilling over the years. He adds that the reason for this is accessibility for especially hard-to-reach areas.

According to the US-Based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, polio, or poliomyelitis is a disabling and life-threatening disease. The virus can infect the spinal cord, causing paralysis, leading to permanent disability or death.

Polio has over the years proven to be a risk to all children. Love Uganda Foundation advises parents to comply and take their children to the health centers to get vaccines. To protect a child from polio you need two drops of the Polio vaccine.

Tobacco according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse is a plant grown for its leaves which are dried and fermented before being put in tobacco products. The World Health Organization identifies tobacco as the leading cause of preventable deaths in the world.

Close to 8 million people die around the world every year because of the use of tobacco. More than 7 million of those deaths are a result of direct tobacco use. According to the World Health Organization, people exposed to second-hand smoke are 1.2 million as a result of non-smokers. Tobacco contains nicotine which is an additive making it hard for people to quit.

Numbers

Low and middle-income countries cover over 80% of the 1.3 billion users with a burden of tobacco-related illness and death at its heaviest. It contributes to poverty by diverting household spending from basic needs such as food and shelter to tobacco.

In Uganda, 7.9 percent of adults (age 15+) use tobacco products. The rates are higher in men than women. Average of 11.6 percent of men and 4.6 percent of women. Among the youth, 17.3 percent (5.0 boys and 4.7 girls) use tobacco products. Secondhand smoke exposure goes to 20.4 percent of adults who work indoors, those exposed in restaurants are 16 percent, and exposed in public transport are 7.8 percent. More than 9,650 Ugandans die from smoking-related causes. Smoking tobacco kills 124 men and 64 women every week.

Products

Tobacco kills most of the people in Uganda and around the world.

People can smoke, chew, or sniff tobacco. Smoked products include cigarettes, cigars, bidis, and kreteks. Loose tobacco is smoked in a pipe ( water pipe ) and chewed products include chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, and snus.

Health Effects

 The blood absorbs nicotine and demands the brain. The adrenal glands release the hormone epinephrine that stimulates the central nervous system and increases blood pressure, breathing, and heart rate. As it is for other drugs that reinforce rewarding behaviors. Tobacco smoking can lead to lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema. It increases the risk of heart disease which can lead to stroke or heart attack. Smoking is close to other cancers like leukemia, cataracts, type 2 diabetes, and pneumonia.

Miscarriages, stillborn or premature infants, or infants with low birth weight are unavoidable if the pregnant woman smokes cigarettes. Its effects don’t spire those who stand or stand those who smoke. Furthermore, Secondhand smoke exposure also leads to lung cancer and heart disease. Children have an increased risk of ear infections, severe asthma, lung infections, and death from infant death syndrome.

In Uganda, people have been hoodwinked to think that tobacco growing improves their livelihoods while consumption is looked at as a leisure activity. In 2015, the country passed one of the strongest laws in the world and the Minister of Health published the tobacco control regulations. Other gains in tobacco control in the country include a ban on direct advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, enforcement of smoke-free environments, and an increase in tobacco taxation by 39.9%.

The tobacco industry has a lot of resources and fighting it is not easy. Given its effects, we must join hands in creating awareness to people on the use of tobacco. However, tobacco has a good part with it. These include:

• Tobacco is used as a great pest poison for the garden to kill pests, especially caterpillars and snails that tend to feed on leaves.
•  Help soothe itching and mild pain hence it also helps in relieving allergies.
•  First aid to minor cuts

But remember to use tobacco to get advice from doctors to avoid health problems.

Call to action.

Choosing to volunteer so that to create awareness to people who smoke to stop and to those who have not yet started not to try it in any way. You will volunteer in our health program, community development and also education program.

Cervical cancer develops in women’s cervix (this is the entrance to the uterus from the vagina). According to the World Health Organization, almost all cervical cancer cases (99%) are linked to infection with high/risk human papillomaviruses (HPV). It is an extremely common virus transmitted through sexual contact. Cervical cancer is ranked fourth most common cancer in women.

Cancer is a result of uncontrolled division and the growth of abnormal cells. Some cells in our body have a set lifespan and when they die, the body generates new cells to replace them. Sometimes they may not die and continue dividing which results in an excessive buildup cell that eventually forms a lump or tumor. Some of the risk factors that may increase

the risk of developing cervical cancer include:

• HPV is a sexually transmitted disease.
• Having many sexual partners or even becoming sexually active at an early age. Women who have had many sexual partners generally have a higher risk of HPV infection.
• Smoking also increases the risk of developing cervical cancer as well as other types.
• A weakened immune system that’s to say those with HIV/AIDS and people who have undergone a transplant leading to the use of immune-suppressive medications.
• Birth control pills when used for a long term slightly raise a woman’s risk.
• Sexually transmitted diseases for example gonorrhea and syphilis increase the risk of developing cervical cancer.
• The socio-economic status rates appear to be higher in areas where incomes are low. Checkups are expensive for all people mostly in rural areas.

According to data on HPV, Uganda has a population of 12.3 million women age 15 years and older who are at risk of developing cervical cancer. Each year, 6959 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 4607 die from it. (Human Papillomavirus and Related Cancers Fact Sheet 2021).

Uganda is said to have the highest cervical cancer incidence in the world (54.8 per 100,000). Yet it is entirely preventable through vaccination and screening, yet it remains one of the gravest threats to women’s lives according to the World Health Organization. The increase in Uganda is a result of limited screening access and infrastructure.

There are stages of cervical cancer as listed below according to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition.

• Stage 0: Carcinoma in situ. Abnormal cells in the innermost lining of the cervix.
• Stage 1: Here cancer cells have grown from the surface into deeper tissues of the cervix and possibly into the uterus.
• On stage 2: Cancer has now moved beyond the cervix and the uterus, but not as far as the walls of the pelvis or the lower part of the vagina.
• Stage 3: Cancerous spread to the pelvic sidewall or the lower third of the vagina and/or hydronephrosis or a non-functioning kidney that is incident to invasion of the ureter. Here the cancer cells are present in the lower part of the vagina or the walls of the pelvis and they may be blocking the ureters. The tubes that carry urine from the bladder.
• Stage 4: Cancerous spread beyond the true pelvis or into the mucosa of the bladder or rectum. It may or may not affect the lymph nodes. Later it will spread to distant organs, including the liver, bones, lungs, and lymph nodes.

Below are some of the symptoms of cervical cancer;

• The bleeding between periods
• There is also bleeding after sexual intercourse
• Bleeding in post-menopausal women
• The discomfort during sexual intercourse
• Vaginal discharge with a strong odor
• Vaginal discharge tinged with blood
• Pelvic pain. These symptoms also have other causes which include infection

When detected early and managed effectively, cervical cancer is the most successfully treatable form of cancer. In late stages, cancer can also be managed with appropriate treatment and palliative care. The treatment for cervical cancer includes surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or have a combination of all those.  The decision on the kind of treatment depends on several factors such as the stage of cancer as well as age and overall state of health. The early stage when cancer remains within the cervix has a success rate. For example, the use of surgery and radiation therapy may reduce the risk of recurrence. Further cancer spreads from its original area the lower the success rate tends to be. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy involve the use of chemicals and beams of high-energy X-rays or radiation to destroy cancer cells.

HOW CAN WE REDUCE THE CHANCES OF DEVELOPING CERVICAL CANCER?

January is a cervical cancer awareness month. Healthcare, medicine, and early prevention concept.

Every woman should be strict on getting the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to reduce the frequency of cervical cancer.

Practicing safe sex by using condoms as protection against HPV infection. Having fewer sexual partners as it will reduce the higher risk of transmitting the HPV virus. This also calls for delaying the first sexual intercourse of a young woman. The longer she delays it, the lower her risk.

The women who smoke have a high risk of developing cervical cancer than people who do not smoke? So one should stop smoking.

Volunteering in Uganda opens up to everyone who is willing to volunteer with us in the health program to help create awareness about cervical cancer to women in rural and urban areas. Donations of equipment, medicines, and other things are welcomed.

Love Uganda Foundation advises all women to undergo cervical cancer screening which makes it easy to find and treat early-stage cervical cancer possible. National Cancer Institute says regular screening reduces the risk of developing or dying from cervical cancer by 80%. The collected cervical cancer screening program using HPV testing within the community-based primary health care services can increase access to screening and reduce cervical cancer rates in Uganda. The efforts are to reduce the number of women who die because of cervical.

With its partners that is Love Uganda Safaris and Tugambe.org, all care about the woman’s health. Join the cause.