The Ministry of Health and Child Care has reported that the initial phase of the polio vaccination campaign, utilizing novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (NOPV2), was met with overwhelming response. Due to this, the ministry has initiated the second round of the vaccination drive, which commenced yesterday and will continue until Friday.
Donald Mujiri, the ministry’s spokesperson, disclosed that approximately 4.6 million children under 10 years old had been vaccinated by February 23.
“Our trained health teams will be conducting door-to-door visits, visiting schools, and attending markets nationwide to administer the novel polio vaccine directly to children under 10 years old,” stated Mujiri.
He further emphasized the ministry’s appeal to all parents and caregivers to ensure their children participate in the second round of the NOPV2 campaign. Additionally, they encourage individuals to seek clarification from health workers regarding any inquiries they may have about the vaccine.
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Mujiri urged the public to maintain good hygiene practices, including frequent hand washing, to mitigate the spread of polio and other diseases.
The vaccination initiative is being executed in close coordination with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, with a goal to immunize and safeguard a total of 4,206,013 children in each of the two rounds.
Last month, the government confirmed an outbreak of a Type 2 poliovirus variant in the country, leading to the implementation of an emergency polio vaccination campaign. This action was prompted by polio outbreaks in neighboring Mozambique and Malawi.
According to Unicef, Zimbabwe’s last reported wild poliovirus case occurred in 1986. Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly contagious viral disease primarily affecting children under 5 years old.
The virus spreads through person-to-person transmission, primarily through the fecal-oral route or, less commonly, via contaminated water.