Edith NamulondoBsc.QE (Mak), MSC.Biostat. (Hasselt, Belgium), PGDME (UMI) & Advanced Field Epidemiology Training Host Site: : Division of Health information, Ministry of Health
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ABOUT THE FELLOWEdith is a fully-fledged field epidemiologist, she hold a master’s degree in Biostatistics with a background in Statistics with a particular interest in public health emergency response. During the fellowship, she was attached to the Division of Health Information under the Ministry of Health, whose mandate is to manage the national health data (collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data to monitor public health trends). Through the trainingshe has attained great skills in leadership, outbreak investigation, and response including data analysis, interpretation, and use. She led and participated in outbreak investigations, the revision of data tools and documents and dissemination of information. Achievements at the Host SiteAt the Division of Health Information, I participated in and led several projects and activities including: – Dissemination of the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response Guidelines – 3rd Edition (IDSR) to 5 districts of Serere, Pallisa, Mitooma, Kaliro and Masaka – Revision of the data collection and reporting tools – Participated in a training of trainers on the revised data collection tools – Participated in 4 routine Data Quality assessments – Participated in the analysis and compilation of the quarterly reports – Trained staff at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital in medical certification of cause of deaths to improve mortality surveillance – Participated in development of atandard operating procedures for the ICFDH-CY of assessment of disability into national EMRS and DHIS2 – Designed and implemented a Quality Improvement Project to improve death notification surveillance at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital Fellowship program specific achievements
– Measles outbreak in Kiryandongo Refugee settlement, October 2023 – Mpox outbreak in Namayingo District, November 2024
– Cholera in Kayunga District – Mpox in Nakasongola, Wakiso, Mukono Districts and Kampala City
– Excess mortality survey in Uganda – Profiling the TB patients in 6 purposively selected regions of Uganda, June 2024 – Uganda cross-sectional min-national survey to determine immunization coverage and factors associated with immunization uptake in Uganda, August 2024
– The 25th Uganda Society for Health Scientists conference
– Measles outbreaks in Uganda, the why and how, September 2023 – Measles Rubella dose 2 uptake and factors associated in Namutumba District, April 2024
– Why research on herbal Medicine should be promoted, February 2023
Summary of Epidemiological Study:Title: Measles-Rubella dose 2 vaccination uptake and associated factors among children aged 18–24 months in Namutumba district, Uganda Background: Measles remains a major public health concern, especially in regions with vaccination coverage rates below 95%. Two doses of the Measles-Rubella vaccine (MR) are administered to children <2 years; dose 1 (MR1) is administered at 9 months while dose 2 (MR2) at 18 months after birth. In 2023, MR2 uptake was 23% in Namutumba district, compared to the national uptake of 35%, both falling short of the ≥95% national target. We assessed MR2 vaccination uptake and identified factors affecting it among children aged 18–24 months in Namutumba district in April 2024 to guide targeted interventions. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in Namutumba district using a multi stage sampling procedure. At the first stage, we randomly selected six out of 20 sub-counties, at the second stage we selected three villages within each selected sub-county using simple random sampling. At the third stage, we systematically sampled households with children aged 18–24 months in each village, using lists of households provided by the village health team registers. Within each selected household, we identified one caregiver of a child aged 18–24 months to interview using a structured questionnaire. We estimated the MR2 uptake by calculating the proportion of children who received the vaccine according to their vaccination cards. We summarized sociodemographic characteristics, exposure factors and vaccine status using frequencies and proportions. We used logistic regression model to identify factors associated with MR2 vaccination status using adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) to summarize effect measures. Weights were calculated based on probabilities of selection at different levels of sampling and were applied in analysis to ensure sample representativeness of the target population. Results: A total of 350 caregivers from 350 households were interviewed. Most caregivers (86%, n=300) were mothers of the children. The median age of the caregivers was 29 Years, IQR (17, 62) years. The majority (54%, n=188) had attained primary education level. The estimated MR2 coverage was 22% (n=77). The caregiver’s level of education (aOR=1.8, 95% CI 1.4–3.0), awareness of MR vaccination (aOR=9.9, 95% CI 2.5–40), and delivering from a health facility (aOR=6.7, 95% CI 1.5–30) were significantly associated with MR2 uptake. Conclusion: The MR2 uptake in Namutumba district was low compared to the national target of ≥95%. Caregivers who had lower than secondary education, those unaware of MR vaccination, and those who did not deliver from a health facility were significantly associated with incomplete vaccination against measles. There is a need to create awareness campaigns for the community emphasizing the importance of the MR2 vaccination. Key lessons learnt during the fellowship
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