Tag: MEASLES

Zimbabwe Steps Up Disease Surveillance at Borders Through Epidemiologist Training

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has strengthened its frontline disease surveillance capacity with the graduation of 44 health workers from the Zimbabwe Field Epidemiology Training Programme (ZimFETP). The three-month training targeted officers stationed at ports of entry and epidemiologists working within city health departments, equipping them with practical skills to detect, investigate, and respond swiftly to outbreaks. Of the graduates, 20 were drawn from land borders and international airports while 24 came from city health departments across the country. The training was designed to close gaps in disease detection and response…

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Africa’s Cholera Crisis Demands Continental Action

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Africa is currently battling five major infectious disease outbreaks: Mpox, Measles, Dengue, Lassa Fever, and Cholera. Among these, Cholera has emerged as the deadliest, quietly eclipsing the rest in scale and lethality. Yet, despite its heavy toll, it remains under-prioritized. In 2024, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS), a bold step triggered by its rapid transmission across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone, and Uganda. That response was swift and strategic,…

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Zimbabwe records more than 95% measles vaccination coverage in Apostolic sects

Michael Gwarisa

FOLLOWING a measles outbreak that spread throughout the country in 2022, killing and infecting mainly unvaccinated children from apostolic sects in Zimbabwe, the country has witnessed an increase in coverage for measles vaccination in apostolic groups. By Michael Gwarisa The measles outbreak was first recorded in Mutasa District in Manicaland Province where several unvaccinated children from the Marange Apostolic sect, a highly vaccine hesitant group, succumbed to Measles before spreading to some parts of Mashonaland and Midlands provinces. According to data from Amnesty International Zimbabwe, 750 children below the age…

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Measles kills 750 children under five: Amnesty International

Kuda Pembere

MEASLES killed over 750 children under the age of five in Zimbabwe last year, an Amnesty International (AI) report states. By Kuda Pembere  With more than half of the deaths being community deaths mainly from from Manicaland province, the Measles virus spread to other parts of the country killing manly unvaccinated children. The first case was reported in Mutasa District amongst the Apostolic sects. In April, the Ministry of Health and Child Care declared a measles outbreak in Mutasa District in Manicaland province. The virus spread to other areas and…

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Nearly 40 million children are dangerously susceptible to growing measles threat

Michael Gwarisa

Measles vaccination coverage has steadily declined since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, a record high of nearly 40 million children missed a measles vaccine dose: 25 million children missed their first dose and an additional 14.7 million children missed their second dose, a joint publication by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. This decline is a significant setback in global progress towards achieving and maintaining measles elimination and leaves millions of children susceptible to infection. In…

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Government must intensify measles awareness and vaccination campaigns

Healthtimes

The Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) has urged the government to intensify measles vaccination and awareness campaigns to prevent further deaths as the highly contagious disease continues to claim lives  countrywide. By Staff Reporter In a statement, CWGH Executive Director, Mr Itai Rusike said, “…the worrying statistics from the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) indicate that since the measles outbreak in Mutasa district in Manicaland province last month about 700 people, mainly from the religious sects that do not believe in vaccination, have succumbed to the disease.…

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UNICEF is concerned about the impact of measles outbreak

Healthtimes

UNICEF is deeply concerned with the numbers of cases and deaths among children due to a measles outbreak in Zimbabwe. By Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF Representative in Zimbabwe On 10 April 2022, Mutasa District in Manicaland Province was the first district to report a measles outbreak.  According to the latest data shared by the Government of Zimbabwe through the weekly Disease Surveillance System, a total of 6034 suspected cases, 4266 recoveries and 685 deaths have so far been recorded since the onset of the outbreak. Manicaland Province has the highest…

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WHO Urges Previously Vaccinated Children below 5 Years To Get Measles Vaccines

Healthtimes

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative, Dr Alex Gasasira has advised parents to take their children for vaccination regardless of their previous vaccination status. By Catherine Murombedzi The call comes in the midst of a raging Measles outbreak that since claimed 698 lives and infected a cumulative total of 6 291 Cases, while 4 459 have recovered. Speaking in a telephone interview, Dr Gasasira said children between 6 months to under 5 years should be vaccinated irrespective of prior vaccination status. “We urge parents and guardians to bring all…

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Zimbabwe Measles Deaths Toll Nears 700…Community Deaths Constitute Largest Number of Deaths

Healthtimes

A cumulative 698 Deaths have been reported since the onset of the outbreak with more than half of the deaths having been reported in Manicaland province. By Staff Reporter According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) Daily Measles Situation Report (SITREP), 172 New Cases and 13 Deaths were reported yesterday. “The deaths were reported from Mashonaland West (4), Matabeleland South (4), Midlands (4) and Chitungwiza (1). A cumulative total of 6 206 Cases, 4 440 Recoveries and 698 Deaths have been reported since the onset of the…

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Make measles vaccination mandatory for Mapostori Children -VP Chiwenga told

Michael Gwarisa

HEALTH Policy and Public Health experts have advised health and child care Minister, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga to act with speed and make measles vaccination mandatory in children from apostolic sects. By Michael Gwarisa This call comes in the midst of a sharp increase in new measles cases and deaths mainly in children between the ages 6 to 16 from apostolic religious sects, a development that has prompted government to activate the country’s Civil Protection Unit Act. Speaking to HealthTimes, Health Law Policy Expert, Mr Tinashe Mundawarara said the country’s…

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