By Gloria Pierina Piwun
Uganda has renewed its commitment to sustaining its polio-free status as the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) celebrates 90 years of scientific research and public health service.
Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said Uganda recorded its last case of wild poliovirus in 1996 and was certified free of indigenous transmission in 2006.
Since then, he said, the Expanded Programme on Immunisation laboratory at UVRI has maintained strong surveillance systems to ensure the virus does not re-emerge.
“The laboratory has maintained vigilant surveillance and most recently became a World Health Organization-designated polio sequencing laboratory,” Baryomunsi said.
He added that the laboratory has grown into a World Health Organization regional reference laboratory for measles and rubella, while also providing specialised polio sequencing services.
Baryomunsi said the early detection of vaccine-derived poliovirus cases between 2021 and 2024 enabled health authorities to quickly respond with interventions that protected communities.
The UVRI laboratory currently supports eight countries in the region with specialised diagnostic services, strengthening Uganda’s role in regional public health surveillance.
The institute, established in 1936, has over the years played a central role in research, disease detection and response to public health threats, including viral outbreaks.
