UNICEF commits to vulnerable children in Zim
TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has pledged to help vulnerable children in Zimbabwe through health programmes.
It comes following a recent outbreak of measles in Zimbabwe which left at least 157 children dead.
The total number of suspected cases across the country has risen to 2 056 from 1,036 three weeks ago.
UNICEF Zimbabwe said : “Measles is one of the preventable diseases achieved through routine immunisation. No child should die from measles.
“Getting children vaccinated is the best way to protect against any preventable disease. Measles is a routine vaccination that children in Zimbabwe receive freely. “
Health experts say the disease remains one of the major causes of death for children under the age of five despite the availability of safe and effective vaccines in the country.
The virus is transmitted by airborne droplets when an infected person sneezes or coughs, and immunisations are among the most successful and cost effective prevention interventions available.
UNICEF takes immunisation as a right guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 24.
“UNICEF takes immunisation as a right guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 24, which compels States to make every effort to ensure that no child is deprived of his or her right of access to such health care services by providing them with necessary medical assistance and health care and appropriate pre-natal and postnatal health care for mothers, among others, “ UNICEF said.
Apparently, Zimbabwe is on polio and measles alert following the detection of the vaccine preventable diseases in neighbouring countries, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) projecting possible outbreaks if measures were not taken to speed up vaccination.
WHO said in a bid to prevent renewed spread in Africa, almost 70 000 vaccinators will go door-to-door in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, to give all children under five years the oral polio vaccine in a US$15.7 million campaign funded by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
