Ministry launches mass vaccination campaign
The Ministry of Health will this week observe this year’s Africa Vaccination Week with a mass immunisation campaign for all vaccine-preventable diseases.
The vaccination week, running from Wednesday April 24 to Tuesday April 30, will look into diseases such as tuberculosis, measles, polio, HPV, cholera, Rubella and tetanus.
In an interview on the sidelines of a media tour in Ntcheu to appreciate preparations for the exercise, Ministry of Health spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe said the exercise will be conducted in all health facilities and various cites set up across the country.
He said the campaign will target all under-five children, girls aged below nine for cervical cancer vaccine, and children below the age of 15 for vaccines for diseases such as polio.
Said Chikumbe: “Through councils, we are making sure that the vaccines are available in all health facilities. We encourage parents to make available their children for the immunisation even though they were already vaccinated.”
He said the ministry is also in discussion with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to have the malaria vaccine rolled out in all districts nationwide.
Shadreck Mapulanga senior disease control and surveillance assistant (DCSA) for Nsiyaludzu Health Centre in Traditional Authority Makwangwala in Ntcheu, said they are working with traditional and religious leaders to mobilise communities to reach all the targeted children.
He said the health centre primarily treats up to 4 000 malaria cases a month.
On his part, Masasa Health Centre DCSA Nicholas Chikapa said they have been having health talks and conducted meetings in communities to raise awareness.
“We target to reach close to 1 700 under-five children during the exercise. We have already received enough stocks for the exercise,” he said.
In 2019, Malawi became the first country in the world to introduce the malaria vaccine into its childhood immunisation programme followed by Ghana and Kenya.
The vaccine was introduced in a phased approach that targeted 11 districts in the country.
According to Chikumbe, the country is experiencing challenges expanding the malaria immunisation to other districts as the manufacturer is experiencing high demands from other countries.
According to the WHO, immunisation campaigns have enabled nations to eradicate smallpox, nearly defeat polio, and ensure more children survive and thrive than ever before.
African Vaccination Week is an annual event celebrated during the last week of April in synchronisation with the other WHO Regions and the World Immunisation Week.
It is led and coordinated by WHO Regional Office for Africa and implemented by countries with the aim of strengthening immunisation programmes and increasing awareness of vaccine-preventable diseases.
