Rains disrupt vaccination campaign
FRANCISTOWN: Greater Francistown District Health Management Team acting coordinator, Dr. Nkele Ndolumingo has said that heavy rains have affected both dissemination of information about Measles Rubella campaign and immunisation of the children against the disease.
The campaign kick started countrywide on February 1 and will end on February 12.The vaccine is taken by nine to 59-months-old children.
In an interview, Dr. Ndolumingo said that the campaign was currently going well except some challenges such as disruptions caused by heavy rains in the area.
He added that during the rains, it was difficult for parents to take their children for vaccination.
He also said during the heavy rains it was very challenging for them to disseminate information about the campaign as part of educating parents about the vaccination.
According to the acting coordinator, they are targeting to vaccinate 15, 000 children during the Measles Rubella campaign.
He further said that Measles Rubella campaign was a vast plan to control the Rubella and Measles diseases by effectively increasing coverage and improving access to immunisation services.
He added that they were vaccinating the minors children because they were prone to getting infected with the disease.
Dr. Ndulomingo also shared information that they have also noticed that year after year the public has started showing interest in this immunisation.
He said that they were having less problems in the immunisation of the measles and rubella vaccination as the community now realised the benefit of the intervention.
He added : “We have also noticed a great change in people who have resisted vaccination of the measles in the past as they are now coming forward.
In the past, some parents refused to vaccinate their children for numerous reasons.”
He also said that they have seen an impressive change amongst the Bazezuru community, being amongst people who previously resisted vaccination but have since joined the crowd in believing in immunisation.
Dr Ndulomingo further said one of the reasons was that such parents feared that the vaccine would harm their children, but it was upon the health workers to reassure parents by explaining the benefits of the vaccines.
Dr. Ndulomingo said that the risk of parents resisting immunisation was that they exposed themselves to the disease.
He expressed gratitude towards the community for coming forward and the health workers for giving their all in order for the children to be immunised against the disease.