PAC, UN move to fight polio
Public Affairs Committee (PAC) and United Nations agencies have volunteered to support government’s fight against polio after Malawi recorded its first case in 30 years.
Yesterday, a delegation comprising the leadership of PAC, Malawi Interfaith Alliance (MIA), Unicef, World Health Organisation and Ministry of Health held an audience with President Lazarus Chakwera at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe to brief him on the state of polio in the country. They also shared strategies on how to prevent the disease from spreading further.
In his statement yesterday, PAC chairperson Father Patrick Thawale said with support from the UN, his organisation and MIA have previously played key roles in the fight against Covid-19 through dissemination of messages and distribution of face masks and they want to use the same energy in the fight against polio.
He said: “We are aware that there has been only one registered polio incident in Malawi. Although the statistics remain as such, we believe swift action is of the essence at this point in time. One case is a pandemic.”
PAC and MIA said as part of their contribution will start holding workshops for key faith leaders on positive messaging and the first meeting will be held in Lilongwe today.
An officer responsible for immunisation in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Mike Chisema, cited resistance to vaccines as one challenge they are facing which lead to the spread of diseases.
He said they intend to vaccinate 2.9 million children under the age of five as part of preventive measures against polio.
Chisema said currently, the ministry is 75 percent prepared to manage polio and that neighbouring countries have engaged to equally step up efforts to prevent the spread in line with WHO guidelines.
He said Malawi reported its last polio case in 1992 and in 2005 the country was declared a polio-free nation by WHO.
In his brief speech, Chakwera appealed to Malawians to take polio messages seriously, saying the disease has the potential to destroy children’s future.
The President called on citizens to support the vaccination campaign to prevent the spread of the disease.
While thanking PAC and the UN agencies for their offer for their support, Chakwera said he is personally committed to ensure that the disease doesn’t spread further.
The Ministry of Health said it has funds from donors worth about $3.9 million committed to this fight.
Speaking in a joint interview after the ceremony, both Thawale and Unicef country representative Rudolf Schwenk appealed for prudent use of public funds in the management of this emergency.
