By Kuda Pembere in Ruwa
Health officials are upbeat about the increasing number of children being vaccinated under the ongoing vitamin A supplementation and measles rubella vaccination campaign, which began Monday.
Although uptake was low on the first day, it improved in the following days after visits by Health Ambassador and Zimbabwe’s First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, the Minister of Health and Child Care Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, and his deputy Hon. Sleiman Kwidini.
Journalists visited Caledonia Clinic and Ruwa Polyclinic during a tour organized by the Ministry of Health and UNICEF to assess progress in the campaign.
Giving a provincial overview at Ruwa Polyclinic in Goromonzi District, Harare Metropolitan Province Provincial Nursing Officer Daniel Mashava told journalists that despite Thursday’s figures showing they were above 50 percent against a target of 95 percent, he was confident the province would meet its goal.
Mashava said the Provincial Medical Directorate had activated a social mobilization team to encourage parents and guardians to take advantage of the vaccination drive.
“Social mobilisation was done. We have our lower level, where we start with community health workers mobilising people. This started more than two weeks before the campaign days, and it helped a lot to make people aware of what was coming,” he said.
“Then we moved on until we got to Monday, the 6th of October, when we started the injections. We did not stop the mobilisation — we continued as the programme progressed.”
Mashava added that the province benefited from the campaign launch by senior officials.
“On the first day, Monday, we were lucky to have our province launch this programme. The minister and deputy minister came to Stoneridge in the southern district of Harare to launch it,” he said.
“We started with a low number on Monday, but after the launch, our figures began to rise on Tuesday and Wednesday.”
He said the campaign received a major boost when the First Lady visited Glen View on Thursday.
“We were boosted heavily when the First Lady came to support us at Glen View. A number of mothers came to hear her encouraging words, which sent a message to the community of Harare,” Mashava said.
On the first day, the province recorded 11 percent coverage, which has since risen to 54 percent.
“The First Lady’s visit made our campaign stronger. So far, we are at 54 percent, and we are confident that by the end of tomorrow or the next day, we will reach our target,” he said.
Mashava emphasized the importance of achieving the target for national success.
“Each province has to reach its 95 percent target, which contributes positively to the national average. If our province lags behind, it brings others down. But if all provinces achieve 95 percent coverage, the national target will be met,” he explained.
“We are targeting all under-five children aged 9 to 59 months. We started very low at 11 percent on Monday, but now we are at 54 percent,” he added.
At Caledonia Clinic, Goromonzi District Medical Officer Dr. Simbarashe Mundawaro said the district was on track to meet its vaccination target.
“We are on day five of the measles and vitamin A campaign here at Caledonia Clinic, one of our high-volume sites within Goromonzi District — the largest district in Mashonaland East Province,” he said.
“This site had a target of 7,775 eligible children for both the measles vaccine and vitamin A supplement. Today alone, about 400 children have been vaccinated.”
Dr. Mundawaro added that by the end of day four, the district had reached 91.5 percent coverage.
“For the whole district, as of yesterday, we were at 91.5 percent coverage,” he said.
