Mozambique vaccinated children in three rounds in different months: February, June and September. More than 800,000 children participated in each round. The country was the first in the African region with a campaign of this type.
More than 2.5 million children were vaccinated in Mozambique between February and September, as part of the Recovery Plan, implemented to immunize children who have not yet been vaccinated or who have not yet been vaccinated, the Ministry of Health.
“In the February round we vaccinated around 860 thousand children, in June we vaccinated around 861 thousand children and in September we vaccinated around 803 thousand children,” said Quinhas Fernandes, director of the National Public Health Program, at a press conference this Thursday. . Fair in Maputo.
Fernandes said that 524,383 of the vaccinated children had “zero doses”classification given to those who, being of vaccination age, did not receive any vaccine or only had one at birth.
Just over two million children were “underimmunized,” that is, those who did not receive a complete routine vaccination schedule, he explained.
The national director of Public Health said that the Recovery Plan provided for three rounds of vaccination in 74 districts in the central and northern areas, areas where the largest number of children in need of vaccination were concentrated.
The provinces of Nampula, in the north of Mozambique, with around 253,000, Zambézia, in the center, with more than 111,000, and Cabo Delgado, in the north, with 83,000, recorded the highest number of children vaccinated with “zero doses”, in the scope of the Recovery Plan, which totals 85%, continued Quinhas Fernandes.
“These results are impressive and contributed to removing Mozambique from the list of countries that had the highest number of children with zero doses worldwide,” said Fernandes.
Mozambique It was the first country in the African region to develop and implement a plan of this naturehe added.
The official also pointed out that the country had to adopt the Recovery Plan, after advances in vaccination were slowed by the impact of covid-19.
“Through vaccination, The country managed to reach elimination levels for some diseaseslike tetanus and polio. Despite the progress, recurrent external shocks and Covid-19 have contributed to our country and others accumulating a considerable number of children without doses or insufficiently immunized,” he highlighted.
He added that, within the framework of the Recovery Plan, 700 motorcycles and vehicles were acquired, as well as the acquisition and installation of around 200 refrigerators for health units, which sought to strengthen the capacity of the cold chain to reach communities far from health units. .
Source: Observadora
