By Michael Gwarisa
A total of 2.3 million people, aged one year old and above, are set to benefit from the Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV) campaign that has been launched in Harare today.
The campaign will be carried out on a house-to-house, and cluster-to-cluster basis in 160 wards within 26 high-risk districts in seven provinces namely Harare, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central, Manicaland, Masvingo and Midlands. These districts are considered the main drivers of the outbreak.
Officiating at the launch, Minister of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Dr Douglass Mombeshora, who was represented by the Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan Province, Honourable Charles Tawengwa said the Cholera vaccines being administered were tried and tested.
In recent weeks, we have witnessed a surge in the number of cholera cases attributable in part to the onset of the rains and attended flooding and the increased population movements during the festive season,” said Minister Tawengwa.
“This stark reminder underscores the urgency of our actions and the importance of this vaccination campaign in complementing the existing public health and social measures that the government has put in place to control the pandemic. Cholera vaccines are a known and effective public health intervention for cholera control that is coming to complement and not replace existing measures and investments that government has already implemented from the onset of the cholera epidemic.”
He added the vaccination campaign represents a critical step forward in intensifying collective efforts to eliminate the cholera scourge in our beautiful nation. To kickstart the vaccination campaign, the country has so far received 892 286 doses out of the 2 303 248 doses that have been allocated to the country by the International Coordination Group (ICG) for Cholera control.
“The vaccines have already been prepositioned in all provinces and cities and severely affected districts of the country (including here in Harare City). The next batch is expected in country by the 5th of February 2024.”
The staggered delivery of the vaccines into the country is a result of the current global shortage of OCV occasioned by high demand from several affected countries in this region that are rolling out similar vaccination campaigns.
“As such MOHCC will continue to be guided by disease burden statistics to determine priority areas for vaccination using a ward-based approach,” said Honorable Tawengwa.
The Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) that was rolled out is taken by mouth and is a safe and effective tool that can significantly reduce the risk of contracting cholera.
The vaccination campaign was launched by the Government of Zimbabwe in collaboration with UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). The vaccines were made possible through financial support from GAVI and the vaccines are an additional strategy the Government is rolling out to contain the spread of cholera in Zimbabwe.
Dr Jean-Marie Dangou, the World Health Oganisation Zimbabwe Representative said the vaccines were juts a complimentary measure and there was a need to find a permanent solution to the recurring public health problem
“The introduction of the cholera vaccine is another tool to prevent the further spread of the disease. The cholera vaccine used in Zimbabwe is the Euvichol-Plus vaccine, produced by EuBiologics. It is an oral vaccine administrated by mouth. One dose of vaccine protects against cholera infections for a period of at least six months,” said Dr Dangou.
The main operational strategy used in this campaign is house-to-house to minimize gatherings and further spread of the disease. This is complemented by fixed vaccination points in all health facilities within the catchment area. Each vaccination team is composed of three people, expected to vaccinate an average of 150 persons per day. Ahead of the start of the vaccination, a comprehensive social mobilization campaign was rolled out to sensitize the population and generate demand for the vaccine.
Meanwhile, UNICEF Zimbabwe Country Representative, Dr Tajudeen Oyewale said children be prioritised in the vaccination campaign.
“We join the government of Zimbabwe to roll out the oral cholera vaccination campaign. In addition to the vaccine being able to prevent children from new cholera infections, it will also protect and prevent cholera cases in the country are reported in women. And when women are safe, they will be able to take care of children and the household,” said Dr Oyewale.
He also commended the leadership of the Ministry of Health, the partnership with WHO as well as Gavi, and many other donors and partners including the European Union, the UK government, the Irish government, ECHO, Japan, the CDC, and the UN support.
“It’s important to also know that this vaccination works, but it works in close collaboration with all the prevention measures that have been put in place before now. And that includes safe hand washing, good hygiene practices, water treatment, and also accessing care for those who are sick. We all must rally together to ensure high-quality coverage of this vaccination.”
