United States Provides Over $4 Million to Support the Mpox Response in Uganda

The U.S. government is providing $4.1 million, or approximately 15 billion Ugandan shillings, and 5,500 mpox tests to support the mpox response in Uganda.

Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. government is providing $1.4 million to the World Health Organization (WHO), $600,000 to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and $400,000 to USAID Uganda Health Activity implemented by the University Research Collaborative (URC), to support Uganda’s mpox preparedness and response plan.  The U.S. Government is also providing $1.7 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support mpox screening and response in border crossings, refugee settlements, and host communities.  Colleagues across U.S. Mission Uganda, including from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) and USAID, are working closely each day with Ugandan ministries and officials to respond and prevent a wider spread of mpox.

On this announcement, U.S. Ambassador William Popp said, “Our commitment to a healthy Uganda is the foundation of a prosperous Uganda.  When people are healthy, they can work and provide for their family and contribute more fully to their communities.  The U.S. government’s partnership with the Ugandan people focuses on sustainable long-term solutions, building people’s capacity to address these issues independently in the future.”

This new mpox prevention assistance is in addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars the United States provides each year to build a strong and resilient health system able to detect, prevent, and respond to a variety of health threats and illnesses, including mpox.  As part of the mpox response, we are leveraging our broader development and humanitarian platforms, including activities in social protection, education, and communication as well as a variety of existing programs, including the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

For decades, the U.S. government has been instrumental in strengthening Uganda’s health systems such as disease surveillance and reporting capabilities by training a variety of health professionals, including community health workers, laboratory technicians, and public health officials.  Thanks to U.S. government support, there are now more than 70 internationally accredited laboratories in Uganda, compared with only seven in 2015.  These are reliable labs Ugandans can trust and have confidence in.  In refugee settings, the United States funds medical professionals to screen new arrivals to Uganda, builds screening centers and treatment wards, and pays for testing.  These partners and systems are now working to fight the mpox outbreak.

In addition, U.S. CDC, DOD, and USAID, following the COVID response and Ebola outbreak, supported operationalization of Emergency Operations Centers at Regional Referral Hospitals which are responding regionally to mpox.

Every year the United States provides nearly $1 billion, or about 3.7 trillion Ugandan shillings, in assistance to the Ugandan people, creating a positive impact that reaches across all of Uganda’s 146 districts.  More than 97% of this investment in Uganda is provided directly through non-governmental partners and, in the true spirit of partnership, nearly 70% of our activities are implemented through Ugandan non-governmental organizations, generating over 6,000 jobs for Ugandans.  For more details on the full scope of the United States’ partnership with the Ugandan people, please see the U.S. Mission’s “Report to the Ugandan People.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Uganda.