ZIMBABWE on Thursday resumed its polio vaccination programme fo all children under the
age of five years across the country.
This was the second round of the exercise, which was officially launched on 27 October this
year and rolled out for four days until the 30 October.
The just ended exercise ran until Monday with health officers offering the vaccines at clinics
as well as through mobile clinics.
According to Dr. Cremence Chuma, Mashonaland Central Medical Director, whilst the
second round was meant to administer the second dose of the vaccination to the children,
those who did not get the first dose were also attended to in the course of the activity.
Urgent attention was on children in border areas of Mt Darwin, Muzarabani, and Rushinga,
close to Mozambique, where the highest prevalence has been recorded.
He said at the end of the first round, clinics in the aforementioned districts continued with the
vaccination exercise.
Without giving an exact number of the under–fives in the province, Dr. Chuma said they
were targeting at least 95 percent of them to be vaccinated during the campaign.
All infants that were vaccinated during the first round of the vaccination exercise were
expected to receive the second dose, which again is an immune booster.
Acting Provincial Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI) officer, Motion Gabaza, said
that they also increased manpower in the districts of Mbire, Rushinga, Mt Darwin and
Muzarabani aware that the areas were prone to floods and inaccessible during the rainy
season.
“We worked with village health workers to get all infants vaccinated including those that
were missed during the first round,” he said.
Vaccination was carried out in static health facilities as well as door-to-door since there were
mobile teams moving around.
Meanwhile, in the event of reactions, the Provincial Medical Director has appealed to parents
to report at any nearest health centre.
He, however, said there were no reports of allergies and reactions during the first round.