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The Herald, November 6, 1985
MANY Zimbabwean children are still dying from diseases which can be prevented or cured at relatively low cost to society, the Deputy Secretary (Planning) in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr S. Mahlahla, has said.
Opening a week-long inter-ministerial workshop on strategies for the development of children and women in Zimbabwe in Kadoma on Monday, Dr Mahlahla said: “In 1982 about one-quarter of all children were fully immunised.
“Today, probably half of the children are immunised. This is significant progress, but we should not be satisfied.”
One out of every nine mothers did not receive prenatal care while a third delivered their babies outside health centres.
He said many children were not weighed regularly and one out of every five children did not have a growth chart.
Dr Mahlahla said the suffering of many children could be avoided since a big proportion of the illnesses among children were caused by immunisable diseases.
As many as 70 000 children below the age of 15 did not lead a normal life as a result of disabilities.
On malnutrition, he said it was worrying that in Zimbabwe the problem was not only restricted to drought years.
“The high levels of malnutrition we witness in years of plenty are unacceptable and solutions to this problem should be found as a matter of urgency.”
LESSONS FOR TODAY
- Immunisation is a critical aspect in every child’s growth. Upon birth, a child’s immune system is weak and s/he needs help to fight the “six child killer diseases”. These are measles, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus and tuberculosis.
- During immunisation children are administered vaccines, which stimulate the body to produce antibodies that fight infection.
- Vaccines work with the body’s natural defences to build protection. The production of vaccines is advancing rapidly to the extent that there are some that can now prevent more than 20 life-threatening diseases, helping people of all ages live longer, healthier lives.
- In Zimbabwe, every child is expected to go for routine immunisation at birth, and then on week 6, 10, and 14, followed by months 9 and 18 and year 5.
- The country’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation is one of the key interventions aimed at reducing vaccine preventable diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and measles which are the third, fourth and fifth leading causes of mortality in children under five years of age, respectively.
Online Reporter