The World
Health Organization (WHO) has donated two vehicles to the Ministry of Health
(MOH) for use in North Western and Eastern provincial medical offices
respectively.
WHO
Country Representative Olusegun Babaniyi said the donated vehicles are aimed at
helping in the sensitization and disease surveillance activities of vaccine
preventable diseases.
Dr. Babaniyi
said the country’s polio and measles immunization programmes are well
established with national immunization coverage rate for all vaccines above 80
percent contributing to the reduction of child mortality in the country.
He has
further stated that the gesture has come at the right time as the African
region is celebrating the world immunization week from 21 to 28th
April 2012 under the theme ‘an unimmunized child is one too many.’
Dr.
Babaniyi noted that the focus of the vaccination week is on strengthening
national immunization programme in the countries by rising community awareness
on value and importance of immunization so as to create demand from the
community.
He added
that the continuous attack on babies by measles in Zambia has prompted the
Ministry of Health in partnership with WHO to prepare for a country wide
campaign in July 2012 to protect more children between 6 months and 15 years by
giving them measles vaccination.
Dr.
Babaniyi further thanked the Zambian government for adopting the strategies for
polio eradication and elimination of measles that have been implemented over
the past years.
And
speaking at the same event Eastern Province Provincial Medical Coordinator
Kennedy Malama thanked WHO for the donation.
Dr.
Malama said the vehicles will help in surveillance which is one of the four
strategies for polio eradication and elimination of measles as it remains the
bedrock strategy which provides evidence that there are no wild polio measles
viruses circulating in the country.
He has further
assured WHO that the two provinces will make sure that the vehicles are used
for their intended purposes.
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