‘Going against church doctrine saved my children from measles’

Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief

In December last year, Ms Colleta Kunyima’s three children were on their death bed with the same symptoms which included a dry cough, runny nose, sore throat and inflamed eyes.
Ms Kunyima (30) had resigned the lives of the children (1, 3, 5) to fate as with each passing day, they were becoming frail and could not even open their eyes.

The mother of five knew that there was an outbreak of measles in Ward 36, Nembudziya Village in Gokwe North District, Midlands province but because of her religious beliefs, she could not take them to the nearest clinic for vaccination.
Her children looked like they were on the verge of losing the battle against measles until a life-saving decision had to be made.
After two days of watching her frail, shaky and weak children, Ms Kunyima heard that her neighbour, a fellow church member, had lost her two children to measles.

Ms Kunyima said she could not take it anymore and was forced to reach out to her husband Mr Samuel Ndure (38) so that they could take their children to the hospital. The couple are members of a church whose doctrine does not allow members to go to the hospital when they get sick or to be vaccinated against any virus or illness.
Measles is a childhood infection caused by a virus which can now almost always be prevented with a vaccine. Also called rubeola, measles spreads easily and can be serious, even fatal for small children. While death rates have been falling worldwide as more children receive the measles vaccine, the disease still kills more than 200 000 people a year, mostly children.
Some churches in Zimbabwe have, for years, often not participated in vaccination programmes because they are against the use of modern medicine.

Most believe in Christ as the sole healer and trust in Him for divine health and healing. The churches attract millions of followers with their promises to heal illnesses and deliver people from poverty.
“My children were literally on their deathbed; they were dying of measles-related complications and I was aware of that. But my church doctrine says we don’t go to the hospital when we get sick neither do we get vaccinated for any illnesses,” said Ms Kunyima.
She said as they were planning on what to do with the sick children, they were approached by volunteers from the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) who are in the district to mobilise people to vaccinate their children against measles.

The ZRCS, with support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has been collaborating with the Ministry of Health and Child Care in implementing the measles vaccination initiative, aimed at curbing the measles outbreak which swept across most parts of the country. Targeted areas were Mwenezi in Masvingo and Gokwe North, which were identified as areas of concern.
Since the outbreak, stakeholders have been attempting to contain the disease, which broke out in April in Manicaland and exponentially increased to most parts of the country.
Narrated Ms Kunyima: “We were visited by the volunteers from the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society who promised to bring the nurses from the Ministry of Health and Child Care who were part of the vaccination team in our village.
So the nurses came and vaccinated my children. It was a matter of life and death and I chose to go against my church’s doctrine to save my children.”
She said in about two days, her three children were up and about after recovering well. Vaccines have a dual role and carry curative and preventative properties.

Ms Kunyima, who got married at the age of 16 years, said they are grateful to the Government for the vaccination exercise which she said is still ongoing in the district.
Her husband, who is the village head for Nembudziya Village, said he decided to go against his church’s doctrine to save his children’s lives.
“There comes a time in life when one has to make a bold decision and that is what I did. My children were dying and we knew that they could be vaccinated but our hands were tied by the church. But I’m glad I made that decision and now they’re doing fine,” said Mr Ndure.
He said he has since repented that he got his children vaccinated against measles and has been readmitted into the church.
“After my children recovered, I went with them to church and I repented. We were all prayed for and cleansed. Now we’re going to church,” said Mr Ndure.

Gokwe North Health District Promotion officer (HDPO) Mr Ronald Shava said vaccination coverage was relatively low in the district.
“As Gokwe North, the measles vaccination coverage was at 67 percent and when the Red Cross came, they helped us in the intervention and it rose to 83 percent which is commendable. The programme went well because the Red Cross was funding and supporting us on mobilisation which increased the uptake of the vaccine,” he said.
Mr Shava said the intervention by the Red Cross was mainly through supporting the Ministry on the mobilisation of villagers to take up vaccination.
“Mobilisation moves the community to take up vaccination because normally people don’t take vaccines if they’re not well informed or educated. Through the Red Cross, we identified volunteers who approached communities and went door to door, they went to gatherings like churches mobilising the people to vaccinate their children,” he said.

ZRCS Secretary General Mr Elias Hwenga said in support of Government efforts, the ZRCS with technical and financial support of the IFRC, mobilised stakeholders and communities to help contain the disease in Mwenezi and Gokwe North districts.
He said there is a high population density and poor access to health services in Mwenezi District, which made it more difficult to control the spread of the disease and provide adequate care for those who are ill.
Gokwe North District is also considered to be at high risk due to its location in the Midlands province. It is one of the areas which recorded a high number of cases.

“The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society since last year has continued working with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to support the response in these districts by providing logistical assistance with mass vaccinations and community mobilisation, raising awareness about the outbreak, and providing education on how to prevent the spread of the disease. They have also been working with community leaders and traditional leaders to ensure that their support reaches the most vulnerable and marginalised people,” he said.
Mr Hwenga said the ZRCS utilised a wide network of volunteers within communities to support response initiatives adding that the volunteers are critical in community development and disaster response.
“Our community based volunteers have always been instrumental in social mobilisation of Red Cross activities and thus have this vital skill and recognition in the communities,” he said.