Uganda marks decades of polio-free status as UVRI celebrates 90 years

What the report says

Nile Post reports that Uganda has renewed its pledge to preserve its polio-free status as the Uganda Virus Research Institute marks 90 years of work in scientific research, disease surveillance and public health. The commemoration highlights UVRI’s role in tracking infectious diseases and supporting the country’s immunisation and outbreak-response systems.

According to the report, Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said Uganda’s last recorded case of wild poliovirus was in 1996, before the country was certified free of indigenous transmission in 2006. He credited the Expanded Programme on Immunisation laboratory at UVRI with maintaining surveillance intended to detect any return of the virus. The minister also said the lab has recently been designated by the World Health Organization as a polio sequencing laboratory.

Nile Post further reported that the UVRI laboratory has expanded into a WHO regional reference facility for measles and rubella and provides specialised polio sequencing services. Baryomunsi said detection of vaccine-derived poliovirus between 2021 and 2024 allowed health authorities to respond quickly with community protection measures. The article says UVRI now supports eight countries in the region with specialised diagnostic services.

Founded in 1936, UVRI has been central to Uganda’s research and disease detection capacity, including responses to viral threats. The polio update matters because countries that have eliminated wild poliovirus still require strong immunisation coverage, laboratory testing and cross-border surveillance to prevent re-emergence or spread of vaccine-derived strains.