Uganda has started giving Ebola vaccines to its soldiers who are fighting against rebels in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
The exercise began last week and targets more than 10,000 members of the force fighting against the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) rebels.
So far, 6,200 Ugandan soldiers have been vaccinated.
The Ugandan army’s director of public health, Dr Francis Xavier Bakehena says the response from the troops has been good because they are aware of the threat Ebola poses.
The exercise will also cover soldiers manning border points with the DR Congo.
The World Health Organization has provided 12,000 vaccines from Merck. An additional 10,000 from Johnson and Johnson will also be available in weeks.
Front-line workers like health workers, customs and immigration officials will be vaccinated in the second phase of the exercise.
DR Congo confirmed a case of Ebola in Beni district, North Kivu province two weeks ago, six weeks after an outbreak was confirmed in Equateur province.
No imported case has been reported in Uganda so far but authorities have since stepped up surveillance and put 21 districts that border the DR Congo on high alert.
READ MORE: