BCC, health authorities embark on zero dose survey

Tafadzwa Chibukwa, Chronicle Reporter

BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Child Care has embarked on a zero dose survey in all suburbs to establish the number of children below five years in each clinic catchment area.

The exercise is aimed at determining the immunisation status of the eligible children and the age when the vaccines were administered including the nutritional status of the child.

Other information being sought include the name of the nearest health facility and the clinic preference.

The survey started on Monday until December 30. Last month, the country embarked on a second round of polio vaccination which is aimed at protecting at least 95 percent of the 2,5 million children in the country.

In a statement, Bulawayo town clerk Mr Christopher Dube said the survey will help in establishing the number of children below five years in each clinic catchment area who are eligible for vaccination.

“The City of Bulawayo in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Child Care will be conducting a zero dose survey in all the city’s suburbs. This will establish the number of children below five years in each clinic catchment area,” he said.

“The city wide survey will help in unveiling factors that are affecting the vaccination of children like the nearest health facility, the health facility preference whether private or public, the immunisation status and age when the vaccines were administered including the nutritional status of the child among other important factors affecting children.”
Mr Dube said teams have been deployed to gather information door to door and urged residents to cooperate.

“Residents are advised that the teams who will be conducting this health exercise will have with them identification documents from the health services department to show their authenticity. Residents are urged to comply and actively take part in the door to door survey as it is for the benefit of their children in communities,” he said.

Bulawayo has taken up initiatives towards fighting the child mortality rate through campaigns and vaccination drives for polio and measles among other infant vaccination drives.

In the past months, the city has responded well to vaccination programmes with residents coming in large numbers to clinics to get their children vaccinated.

Globally, infectious diseases, including pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria, remain leading causes of under-five deaths, along with preterm birth and intrapartum-related complications.

The under-five mortality rate declined by 61 per cent globally, from 93 deaths per 1 000 live births in 1990 to 37 in 2020. Despite this considerable progress, improving child survival remains a matter of urgent concern.

In 2020 alone, roughly 13 800 under-five deaths occurred every day, an intolerably high number of largely preventable child deaths.@Sagepapie14