HEALTH and Child Care minister Douglas Mombeshora says the ministry seeks to reach at least 95% of all children in the country during the ongoing measles vaccination campaign.
Mombeshora launched the national measles-rubella vaccination and vitamin A supplementation campaign at Stoneridge Clinic in Harare on Monday.
The campaign will run until tomorrow, with children aged between nine and 59 months set to receive vitamin A supplementation to boost their immunity and protection against blindness.
“This campaign is part of our broader goal to achieve universal health coverage and ensure no child is left behind,” Mombeshora said.
“Measles and rubella are highly infectious diseases that can lead to serious complications and even death if children are not vaccinated. We cannot afford to be complacent.”
He said the government, with support from Unicef, the World Health Organisation and Crown Agents, would ensure vaccines and supplements were freely available at all health facilities across Zimbabwe.
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“We are calling on all parents and caregivers to take their children to the nearest clinic or outreach point,” Mombeshora added.
Chief director of preventive services in the Health ministry Edwin Sibanda underscored the need to urgently maintain high immunisation coverage following regional measles outbreaks in recent years.
“We must maintain population immunity above 95% to prevent new outbreaks,” Sibanda said.
Health expert Marilyn Mutize emphasised the need to educate communities on the importance of being fully immunised.
“Where vaccination coverage falters, outbreaks quickly follow as seen in 2022 when Zimbabwe and several African countries experienced resurgences of measles linked to declining immunisation rates during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mutize said.
“While the science is clear, public trust is not always guaranteed. Parents who question vaccines are not enemies of progress; they are individuals struggling to make the best decisions for their children in a world flooded with conflicting information.”
Mutize said consequences of skipping vaccines could be devastating.
“For a child, measles is not just a rash and a fever; it can lead to blindness, brain damage or death,” Mutize said.
“Rubella, when contracted by pregnant women, can cause congenital rubella syndrome, leading to lifelong disabilities in babies. These outcomes are tragic precisely because they are preventable.”