By Bill Oketch & Santo Ojok
KWANIA: A Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) worshiper is in police custody in Kwania District for allegedly frustrating government’s immunization programme.
On October 16, the Ministry of Health launched a nationwide Measles and Rubella mass immunization exercise that has been extended for two days.
In Kwania, however, the exercise it met some resistance from residents.
The Resident District Commissioner, Salim Komakech, confirmed that he ordered the arrest of one Robert Okech, a resident of Apolika Village, Ajar Parish in Chawente Sub-county for frustrating the programme.
Dr. Richard Denis Obua, Kwania District Measles, Rubella and Polio immunisation campaign focal person, says the suspect allegedly refused eight of his children to be immunized saying the exercise was satanic.
However, John Onyango, an elder of the Seventh-day Adventist in Kwania says their religion is supportive to government programs but suspected the man to be a member of an SDA break-away sect.
Yesterday, the Ministry of health extended the immunization period against Rubella, Measles and polio for two more days in the districts of Kampala Wakiso, Mukono and Karamoja sub-region.
Health minister Dr. Jane Acheng told journalists at press conference held at the ministry headquarters in Kampala that some schools in the central region districts were not covered since they were not in the ministry of education’s data base, while in Karamojja, the exercise was disrupted by heavy rains.
Aceng meanwhile said the immunisation exercise in the rest of the districts countrywide had also been extended for one day.
So far only 50% of the expected 16,000 schools have been covered.
