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Yeukai Karengezeka-Herald Correspondent

At least 22 000 children in Chitungwiza have been vaccinated against measles as the Government’s vaccination programme moves a gear up, an official has said.

Following the outbreak of the disease countrywide, the Ministry of Health and Child Care rolled out a supplementary immunisation programme through utilisation of local resources mobilised from the disaster fund.

In an interview, Chitungwiza Health and Environmental Services director Dr Tonderai Kasu told The Herald that the exercise was going on well and is targeting to reach 64 000 children.

“To this day, 21 886 children have been reached with supplementary measles vaccination to yield a 34 percent coverage of the target population thus far, with 3 174 children having been newly vaccinated,” he said

“In the current vaccination blitz, we are targeting all children aged from six months to five years irrespective of their previous vaccination status for measles and rubella. The target population for Chitungwiza is approximately 64 000 children.”

The children are also being given Vitamin A supplements.

The vaccination programme is being undertaken at nine static sites and 13 outreach sites respectively.

The static sites are Chitungwiza City Health Department clinics for Zengeza, St Mary’s, Seke South and Seke North, Citimed Hospital, Chitungwiza Central Hospital, Manyame 24hr, St Michaels and ZRP Camp Clinic.

Dr Kasu urged parents and guardians to comply with the Government’s call by bringing their children for vaccination.

“I would like to urge all parents to bring their children for vaccination. It is important that they do so because most cases and deaths in Zimbabwe have been among children that were not vaccinated against measles,” he said.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, Chitungwiza has a cumulative total of 168 suspected cases of measles, 12 confirmed cases, and one suspected measles death.

The suspected measles death was of a child aged two who had an acute illness and was unvaccinated.

As of September 3, Zimbabwe had recorded 6 206 confirmed cases of measles countrywide, including 4 440 recoveries and 698 deaths.

Measles is an acute viral respiratory illness commonly found in children.

Some of its primary symptoms are fever, malaise, cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes, sore throat, and a red blotchy skin rash which usually appears about 14 days after a person is exposed.

The disease spreads through the air by respiratory droplets produced from coughing or sneezing.

Zimbabwe had the first outbreak in Mutasa district, Manicaland province on August 10 and it still has the highest number of 2 942 cases, followed by Mashonaland West with 855 and Mashonaland East with 718.