The City of Bulawayo is set to roll out 214,586 polio vaccines to children under 10 years old as part of the National Novel Oral Poliomyelitis (Polio) Vaccine Type 2 (NOPV2) campaign starting on Tuesday.
The campaign will run from February 20th to 23rd following the detection of a polio case in Harare.
While Zimbabwe has been polio-free since 1989, recent cases in neighbouring countries like Mozambique and Malawi raise the risk of infection.
Speaking at a press conference, BCC Chief Nursing Officer Sithokozile Hove emphasised ongoing efforts to identify potential cases.
“In Bulawayo, in 2023 we had 17 cases of acute flaccid paralysis and these were investigated and no polio was detected in all the cases. In January 2024 we also identified two cases of acute flaccid paralysis which are being investigated, we have sent specimens to the virology laboratory and are awaiting results as Bulawayo,” she said.
“Health workers in Bulawayo continue to actively search for acute active flaccid paralysis cases in the hospitals, clinics, and communities and with the help of community health workers and residents also assist us in looking for these cases and reporting to the nearest health centre so that we can investigate them.”
Vaccinations will be available at municipal clinics, central hospitals, selected private surgeries offering vaccinations, Mater Dei Hospital, crèches, primary schools, marketplaces, bus terminals, and through house-to-house visits.
Dr Edwin Sibanda-Mzingwane, Director of Health Services, highlighted the importance of vaccination due to evolving viruses and the need to address vaccine hesitancy.
He explained that some individuals may not develop full immunity even with effective vaccines, necessitating repeated vaccination rounds.
He also acknowledged the challenges posed by religious beliefs and social barriers and emphasised ongoing efforts to engage with these communities.
“Then there is the issue of social barriers, this is a very difficult one, there is no one answer to all social barriers because some are religious and religion is something that is very difficult to convince someone that their religion somehow did not get the information right or correctly because they believe that their religion is the religion, so we are constantly engaging them,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Dr Sibanda-Mzingwane noted the success of past vaccination efforts in eradicating polio in Zimbabwe. He urged residents to participate in the campaign to maintain the country’s polio-free status.
