Hundreds in Bulawayo step up to fight Polio

MUNICIPAL clinics, central hospitals and child care centres across Bulawayo have witnessed a surge in activity this week as hundreds of mothers and guardians turned out to have their children vaccinated against polio in an ongoing city-wide immunisation campaign led by the City of Bulawayo and the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

The four-day polio vaccination campaign targeting children aged five years and below, began on Tuesday and ends tomorrow. It is also being conducted at primary schools, selected private surgeries, marketplaces, churches, bus termini and there are also teams moving from house-to-house vaccinating children.

Bulawayo Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube, in a statement, said the campaign follows recent confirmation of an outbreak of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (CVDPV2) in Malawi.

“The second phase of the Synchronised Novel Oral Polio Vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) vaccination campaign in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care starts from Tuesday and ends on Friday,” he said.

Mr Dube said this follows a notification about the recent confirmation of an outbreak of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (CVDPV2) in Malawi.

“The virus isolated through environmental surveillance is linked to the previous transmission in Harare Metropolitan in July 2023. The campaign will be conducted across selected districts to protect children from CVDPV2,” he said.

Mr Dube said the campaign will be synchronised with Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Botswana.

“Vaccinating children at the same time in neighbouring countries and the selected districts in the country is aimed at preventing polio from moving from one area to another, preventing re-infection and interrupting outbreaks of CVDPV2,” he said.

Bulawayo was selected as it is the second largest city in Zimbabwe with a highly mobile population and busy transport routes.

“Urban centres are prioritised in outbreak response because viruses can spread quickly through dense populations and travel links. Polio is a highly infectious disease that can cause permanent paralysis, however, it is preventable through vaccination. Community participation is essential to ensure every eligible child is protected,” said Mr Dube in a statement.

At Emakhandeni, Luveve and Entumbane clinics, the vaccination process, according to mothers whose children were vaccinated, has been smooth since the start of the programme as it is taking less than two minutes for a child to be vaccinated.

“The process is very smooth and fast. We were encouraged to go back to our communities and tell the other mothers with children under the age of five to bring them for vaccination,” said Ms Molleta Ncube of Entumbane.
She said they were told by health officials that mothers who were at work or busy with other businesses, had today and tomorrow to bring their children for vaccination.

At primary schools, classes were given timeslots to visit vaccination desks manned by nurses from BCC and the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

At Nkulumane Primary School in Mpopoma suburb, a health official said she was confident all the children aged five years and below will be vaccinated by tomorrow.

‘It’s a four-day programme so we have ample time to vaccinate all the children before the campaign ends. Parents and guardians do not need to accompany their kids to school for vaccination as the programme is being monitored by school authorities who will ensure that every child, especially the little ones who are in Early Childhood Development, are vaccinated,” said the official.

Teams of health officials were also seen doing door-to-door vaccinations to ensure that no child is left behind in the campaign.

At Mpilo Central Hospital, mothers and guardians from Makokoba, Mzilikazi and Barbourfields suburbs were bringing their children for vaccination and the nurses were kept busy throughout the day on Wenesday.