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Mukudzei Chingwere in LOMÉ, Togo

ZIMBABWE is moving fast to contain the measles outbreak, using the disaster funds and mobilisation of other resources to ensure the measures work, Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Constantino Chiwenga said yesterday.

While the outbreak was a result of service disruptions the country experienced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government will not use that as an excuse and was already rolling out strategies to subdue the new threat.

VP Chiwenga gave the update when he spoke to global peers at a health ministerial dinner on Afro Emergency and Response Flagship Programmes held on the sidelines of the ongoing 72nd session of the World Health Organisation regional committee for Africa.

As a mitigatory measure, measles outbreak response initiatives have been strengthened and outreach vaccination activities have been stepped up.

“It is indeed a sad reality that we are grappling with a measles outbreak,” said the Vice President.

“This has been due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which disrupted the provision of essential health services and reversed the gains made in our expanded programme for immunisation.

“Considering this, we have rolled out supplementary immunisation programmes financed by local resources mobilised from the disaster fund. We have also intensified routine vaccination programmes. Risk communication and community engagement is being strengthened.

“We are grateful for the support we are receiving from the World Health Organisation and other partners to fight the measles outbreak”.

Zimbabwe’s disaster management had been emboldened by President Mnangagwa’s strategic decision to give VP Chiwenga a dual role as VP and Minister of Health and Child Care which makes it easy for him to marshal line ministries to comprehensively respond to such challenges.

Government is using the “Whole Government, Whole society” strategy anchored on locally-mobilised resources in line with the “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo” mantra espoused by the President.

“The Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe is using the whole of Government, whole of society approach which has worked well in the response to natural disasters like Cyclone Idai and the Covid-19 pandemic,” VP Chiwenga said.

“My role as Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care has made it easier to co-ordinate the Government response to health emergencies.

“The concept of the one health approach fits well into how Zimbabwe has been managing health emergencies. The one health approach has the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognising interconnection between people, animals, plants and their shared environment.

“The Public Health Emergency Operation Centre, which is run by the Ministry of Health and Child Care, acts as the central hub from which all health emergencies, including those requiring the One Health Approach, are co-ordinated”.