The British High Commission in Kampala has announced that the UK will provide £1 million to Baylor College of Medicine and the Infectious Disease Institute to support Uganda’s response to the current Mpox outbreak.
The support delivered through these expert partners will be aligned to the Government of Uganda’s overall Mpox respond plan. The funding will strengthen co-ordination of the response; surveillance, and risk communication and community engagement.
Philip Smith, the Acting British High Commissioner to Uganda said it was critical that the UK works with the government of Uganda to counter this outbreak.
”We are pleased to announce this additional funding is being released immediately to support a timely response” he said in a statement to APA on Thursday.
The UK’s support will target affected districts to improve the response to the outbreak on the ground.
Uganda’s health minister Jane Ruth Aceng commended the UK for the support, saying the European country has been a key partner of her country on its response to the mpox outbreak.
The support package builds on previous assistance the UK has provided Uganda.
In October 2022, the UK contributed £2.2 million (UGX 9.3 billion) – and technical experts to support the government of Uganda’s response to the Ebola outbreak.
Between 2018 and 2020 the UK contributed nearly £10 million – over UGX40 billion – to support Ebola preparedness in the country.
This has improved the Ugandan government’s ability to respond to the current outbreak.
For example, ambulances previously purchased by the UK via the World Food Programme, and subsequently donated to the Uganda Red Cross, are now being used.
WN/as/APA