The Ministry of Health has attributed the outbreak of Measles which has mainly has mainly affected Lusaka to children who missed the routine vaccination programme. And Government and cooperating partners have raised K16 billion for the Child Health week programmes that will be conducted next month.
Ministry of Health Spokesperson,
said another 15 percent of those who were vaccinated did not develop immunity hence Government was intending to introduce a second dose to cover children who did not develop immunity.
Briefing the Press on Tuesday, Dr Mbewe also disclosed that the Ministry of Health had also noted a peculiar occurrence where even six months old babies have contracted measles adding that in Zambia vaccinating age is 9 months.
“These outbreaks have occurred as a result of some children being missed during routine vaccination coupled with approximately 15 % of those that do not develop immunity. We have also noted a peculiar occurrence where even six months old babies have contracted measles. In Zambia vaccinating age is 9 months.
“These sporadic outbreaks are partly attributed to the flooding which has caused disruption of the services because in some cases the parent and guardian did not take their children for vaccination. As you may be aware some these cases are coming from area which experienced floods” he said.
On the K16 billion that has been sought for Child Health Week Programmes, Dr Mbewe said the money has since been distributed to all the districts adding that all necessary logistics are in place while vaccines are being distributed to all health centers.
Dr. Mbewe said government has procured vaccines for health centers at a cost of over K9 billion. He has since disclosed that the ministry has opened measles treatment centre at University Teaching Hospital (UTH) and Chawama clinic. He said all vaccines to prevent diseases are on schedule and available to all health facilities and outreach services around the country free of charge.
Dr. Mbewe said Government will also use the child health week to carryout campaigns on measles outbreak countrywide. He has since appealed to parents to take their children for vaccinations at health centers and outreach points. The country has recorded measles outbreak and 2 832 cases have since been reported from January to June this year with 66 deaths.
Lusaka has recorded 2,453 cases representing 86% and 64 deaths since January. Other districts which has recorded major measles outbreak includes; Lundazi with 282 cases and Chibombo with 53 cases and one death each. Others are Nyimba with 18 cases and Chama with 26 cases and have no deaths.
ZANIS
Correction. Lets attribute it to poor leadership, corrupt leadership and an idle minister of health. Also, would be good to note that the corperating partner mentioned in the article is a foreign donor. What a shame; these jokers are responsible for so many lives. May the good Lord give us the strength to forgive them for surely we cannot do it on our own.
Ok The Impostor of my name and Picture has now gone out of line and it is time to act. I have let him be my impostor for a while because he was towing the party lines. But he has committed two sins. 1) Attack Senior Citizen 2) Attack our president. Anyway It looks like Zambians here in the USA are good at being impostors. Anyway am here for a short course which ends next week and am going back to my base station in South Africa. I will not blog till then. So treat the current MMD Chief Bootlicker as an impostor until you see the real one in mid July blogging with a South African Flag.
Besides check ,my past posts from South Africa. I write Bootlicker as one word as opposed to this imposter
I am a concerned parent who is in a dark about the side effects of the Measles vaccines. the Government has highly talked about us taking our children to clinics and recieve these donated vaccines which we do not know its source and our professional doctors have had a chance to study their side effects. And worrisome thing is that there has been an increase in the outbreak of measles despite so many compaigns or despite so many vaccines we have subject our children to. please Hon. Simbao tell us the parents the side effects of the measles vaccines, maybe bazungu are trying these vaccines on our children to see if they can work well on their children. we are suppose to see few cases after the 2003 and 2007 measles campaign. Lusaka is the highest because more children receive these.
thins in zambia is not ok.health sector has been hindered by the doctors