72 percent of the targeted 55,009 children have been vaccinated against polio in Mkushi district, with authorities expressing confidence that the district will exceed its target.
District Commissioner Jonathan Kapungwe, who conducted a routine monitoring of the exercise, found a number of mothers taking their children for the polio vaccination at various health centres.
ZANIS reports that Mr Kapungwe reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting children from preventable diseases.
“Government is committed to ensuring that preventable diseases among young children are eradicated. This campaign is critical in safeguarding their health,” he said.
Meanwhile, District Director of Health Chipoya Bwalya said the district is on course to surpass its target by the end of the campaign.
“We are confident that we will go above our target. One of the highlights of this campaign is that we have not recorded any refusal, which often characterises such exercises,” he said.
He noted that the absence of resistance from the community reflects growing public trust in the healthcare system.
“This shows that people are confident in the healthcare system and the quality of services being provided,” he added.
He has since urged parents and guardians to ensure that all children aged between zero and five years are vaccinated.
And one of the parents spoken to, Fredrick Mwamba, commended government efforts, saying the initiative is helping to secure a healthier future generation.
“We are grateful to the government for caring for the children, who are the future generation. Campaigns like this are ensuring that we have a healthy nation,” he said.
The Polio Supplementary Immunization Campaign forms part of ongoing efforts to eliminate polio and strengthen child health interventions across six provinces in the country.
The campaign follows the detection of a circulating vaccine-derived type two poliovirus from an environmental sample collected in Lusaka District in February this year, a development that raised concern among health authorities and prompted urgent preventive measures.
