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Botswana: The Ministry of Health of Botswana wishes to inform members of the public that Botswana will join other countries to celebrate African Vaccination Week (AVW) from the 24th to 28th of April 2023, under the theme: The Big Catch Up (Catching up on children who missed routine vaccinations).
This year’s AVW is geared towards reaching children who missed vaccination during the years 2020 to 2022 due to various reasons like disruptions caused by the COVID–19 pandemic. Those who missed some part of their vaccination in 2019 are also encouraged to participate.
The aim of the African Vaccination Week is to strengthen immunization programmes in the African region by promoting the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against vaccine preventable diseases, thus allowing communities to live healthier and happier lives.
The African Vaccination Week provides the Ministry of Health (MoH) with an opportunity to reach children who missed out on vaccines and to restore essential immunization coverage in Botswana to the pre COVID-19 era. This will, in the end, help strengthen primary health care to deliver immunization and build lasting protection in communities.
Therefore, the ministry encourages parents and caregivers to take all affected children aged five (5) years and below to the nearest health facility in order to catch up on the missed vaccines from the 24th to the 28th of April, 2023.
The government of Botswana urged nationals that if they need any other information or have any enquiry, they are free to contact their nearest health facility or also they can call on 363 2500.
Residents of Botswana are happy with the government initiative; one of the local residents said, “And the One You Put in the Toilet, Vaccinate him. I stop being called Toilet..! I am called Covid..! Prevention is better than cure..! (Measles campaign, WHO, Lions club, Red cross and MOH..!Thanks.”