Chronicle Editor
Yoliswa Dube-Moyo, Matabeleland South Bureau Chief
THE Ministry of Health and Child Care is capacitating village health workers in Matabeleland South province in case identification and reporting of measles and polio as the country is on high alert of the vaccine preventable diseases.
In Zimbabwe, village health workers take care of the most vulnerable patients by providing basic health services.
There are members of the communities they serve and have gone through basic healthcare training and often act as volunteers or receive a minimal stipend.
Village health workers have been receiving support from local public health organisations in carrying out their work across the country.
Matabeleland South provincial medical director Dr Rudo Chikodzero said efforts are being made to strengthen surveillance systems by capacitating health care workers in case identification and reporting.
She said awareness campaigns would be conducted at all levels including schools through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education structures.
Zimbabwe is on polio and measles alert following the detection of the vaccine preventable diseases in neighbouring countries, with the World Health Organisation projecting possible outbreaks if measures are not taken to speed up vaccination.
Vaccine-derived polio, a form of the disease stemming from incomplete vaccination coverage, is more widespread globally, and recent outbreaks in Malawi have sparked concerns about how the Covid-19 pandemic may have hit vaccination coverage.
The WHO has said in a bid to prevent renewed spread in Africa, almost 70 000 vaccinators will go door-to-door in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, to give all children under 5 the oral polio vaccine in a US$15,7 million campaign funded by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
The organisation said many children right now are being left without protection against measles and other vaccine preventable diseases due to Covid-19 induced service delivery disruptions.
As a result, the risk of large outbreaks has increased. In 2020, 23 million children missed out on all basic childhood vaccines.
That’s the highest number seen since 2009 and 3,7 million more than in 2019.
In a recent interview, Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Dr John Mangwiro said as the country continues to battle the effects of Covid-19, every parent and guardian should ensure that children are vaccinated against these diseases.
Dr Mangwiro said although no outbreaks have been recorded in Zimbabwe, the ministry has made all provisions to detect such cases before they spread.
– @Yolisswa
Online Reporter