AN unspecified number of schoolchildren in Harare yesterday reportedly refused to be vaccinated under government’s mass measles-rubella immunisation programme following orders from their parents, NewsDay has learnt.
BY SILENCE CHARUMBIRA
Harare City Council’s principal health promotion officer Israel Makwara confirmed the development, saying health authorities had taken residential addresses of the pupils who snubbed the vaccination in order to do follow-ups with the parents concerned.
“We had incidents where children refused to take the jab because they have been instructed by their parents or guardians not to take it. We are now in the process of getting the details of those parents so that we make a follow-up and find out whether their refusal is on religious or medical grounds,” Makwara said.
He, however, said in other centres the turnout was higher than last year.
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The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare yesterday rolled out the measles vaccine together with vitamin A supplements across the country that will run until October 2.
The immunisations are aimed at providing children between six and 59 months with vitamin A supplements while those between nine months and 15 years would be given the measles-rubella vaccine.
The programme, partly funded by the World Health Organisation and Unicef, is targeting up to five million children throughout the country.