VARIOUS stakeholders in Hurungwe district have raised concern over “refusal” by some parents and guardians to have their children vaccinated against polio and measles.
This came out during a stakeholders meeting in Karoi on Thursday, where it was revealed that at least 1 000 children were not vaccinated during Polio Round 3 blitz last year.
Polio Round 4 vaccination will kick off on Tuesday and end on Friday this coming week.
Chairing the meeting, Mercy Mhlanga said it remained a challenge to vaccinate children against polio and measles in Hurungwe, the country’s second largest district.
“We still face some refusal from some members of the apostolic sect who still deny their children a right to be vaccinated,” she said.
“Of major concern are some elite schools within the district that deny pupils to be vaccinated, yet polio has no boundaries.”
The meeting was attended by government officials, Hurungwe rural district and Karoi town council officials.
It was agreed that there should be continued engagement with church leaderships so that they understand the values of their children being vaccinated.
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There was a call for district education officials to accompany their counterparts to the elite schools for assistance.
Several wards identified as “red zones” for failing to adhere to health as basic right for children are mostly rural based.
The most worrisome areas include Zebra Downs (Ward 3), Lynx (Ward 4), Chinhere (Ward 5), Karuru (Ward 8), Kapfunde (ward 12), Chievende (Ward 14) and Nyama (Ward 22) that have high numbers of apostolic sect membership.
Last year, the district vaccinated 130 882 children, while this year, round 4 is targeting 132 000 children for the polio vaccination.
It will target children aged 10 years and below.
They will be vaccinated at health facilities, including 42 clinics, mining areas, homesteads and schools.
Hurungwe district health promotion officer Komborero Gotosa said they aim to target a 100% coverage.
“Our aim is to engage all stakeholders so that the programme goes on smoothly as planned,” Gotosa said.
“We hope all community leaders and policymakers will help us as before.
“The district is planning to vaccinate at least 132 000 children under the age of 10 years.”
The district medical officer Munyaradzi Chidaushe downplayed fears of vaccination challenges following the signing of an executive order by United States President Donald Trump to halt of health aid to most low-income countries globally, including Zimbabwe, in a three-month decree.
“I would like to assure everyone that polio vaccination for this forthcoming programme was procured and all is well for now,” Chidaushe said.
Hurungwe assistant district development co-ordinator Witness Kufa called for combined efforts to help children vaccinated.
“The polio vaccination programme is going to be carried during the ongoing rainy season that may affect accessibility to some places, but let us try to spread the word through our various networks so that it becomes a success,” he said.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that affects children mostly under the age of five years.
It can be spread through poor water sanitation.
Polio has no cure but can be vaccinated.
Zimbabwe declared a polio outbreak as a public health emergency due to the detection of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in October 2023 prompting the health ministry to launch vaccination campaigns with the novel Oral Polio Vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to address the situation.
The outbreak primarily affected Harare city, with several cases identified through environmental samples.
Other towns and cities including Bulawayo, Mutare and Kadoma were also identified as polio hotspots.
Regionally, it was detected in Mozambique, making a threat to other neighbouring countries, Zimbabwe included.
Globally, polio is prevalent in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
