Tag: Zero Dose

UNICEF Raises Alarm Over Surge in Vaccine Hesitancy Among Zimbabwe’s Urban Elite

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa While vaccine resistance has traditionally been associated with impoverished communities and apostolic sects, Zimbabwe is now experiencing a concerning rise in vaccine hesitancy among affluent urban populations. Recent data from the WHO/UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC), 2024, shows that approximately 34,000 children in Zimbabwe go without basic vaccinations each year. Speaking at a Zimbabwe College of Public Health Physicians symposium in Harare, Dr. Lucia Takundwa Gumbo, a Health Specialist with UNICEF Zimbabwe, highlighted the shifting landscape of vaccine objectors in the country. I believe there…

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Zimbabwe Fails to Immunise 34,000 Children Every Year

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is falling behind in its efforts to fully immunise every child, with approximately 34,000 children going without basic vaccinations each year. This alarming statistic, contained in the latest World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) report released on July 15, 2025, highlights the persistent vulnerability of Zimbabwe’s youngest citizens, many of whom remain completely unprotected from life-threatening vaccine-preventable diseases. The WUENIC report revealed that across Southern Africa, the number of “zero-dose” children, those who have not received even the first dose…

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