News / Health
Govt rolls out rotavirus vaccine country wide
01 May 2014 at 06:32hrs | Views
GOVERNMENT will today start rolling out the rotavirus vaccine to millions of children across the country, in a move set to curb the many diarrhoea cases being reported weekly.
The director of epidemiology and disease control in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Portia Manangazira, said vaccinations would start today.
"Staff has already been trained and they are ready to administer the vaccine," Manangazira said.
"The administering of this vaccine has come at a good time as we usually record many diarrhoea cases in winter which are due to the rotavirus, so we are glad that it is being administered now."
Most diarrhoea cases are recorded during winter with children being the most affected.
"We are happy that we have secured enough vaccine for the targeted children," Manangazira said.
"The dose is in two phases in which the first dose is at six weeks and the second dose at 10 weeks and these are droplets in the mouth."
According to the latest weekly reports on epidemic-prone diseases, deaths and public events from the Health ministry, 258 people had died since January due to common diarrhoea.
"Total diarrhoea cases reported this week are 9 862 cases and 18 deaths," the report reads. "Of the reported cases, 4 937 and six deaths were from the under five years of age. The cumulative figure for diarrhoea cases is 156 207 and 258 [deaths]."
The vaccine, which prevents diarrhoea in children under the age of five, was expected to be introduced before the peak of last year's winter season when most children are vulnerable to the disease, but was delayed because there were no storage facilities for the vaccine.
According to the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund 4 000 children in Zimbabwe die each year from diarrhoea largely caused by the rotavirus.
The director of epidemiology and disease control in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Portia Manangazira, said vaccinations would start today.
"Staff has already been trained and they are ready to administer the vaccine," Manangazira said.
"The administering of this vaccine has come at a good time as we usually record many diarrhoea cases in winter which are due to the rotavirus, so we are glad that it is being administered now."
Most diarrhoea cases are recorded during winter with children being the most affected.
"The dose is in two phases in which the first dose is at six weeks and the second dose at 10 weeks and these are droplets in the mouth."
According to the latest weekly reports on epidemic-prone diseases, deaths and public events from the Health ministry, 258 people had died since January due to common diarrhoea.
"Total diarrhoea cases reported this week are 9 862 cases and 18 deaths," the report reads. "Of the reported cases, 4 937 and six deaths were from the under five years of age. The cumulative figure for diarrhoea cases is 156 207 and 258 [deaths]."
The vaccine, which prevents diarrhoea in children under the age of five, was expected to be introduced before the peak of last year's winter season when most children are vulnerable to the disease, but was delayed because there were no storage facilities for the vaccine.
According to the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund 4 000 children in Zimbabwe die each year from diarrhoea largely caused by the rotavirus.
Source - NewsDay
