Zimbabwe: The Government of Zimbabwe has received Cholera vaccines and commodities from UNICEF. The medicines, which are reported to be worth over US $265,000, were received from various development partners.
On Jan 27, 2024, the government will receive the third batch of 294,000 Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV), bringing the total number of vaccine doses available in the country to 892,000.
As per the sources, the government prepares to begin with the vaccination campaign in Cholera hotspots on Monday.
Moreover, the OCV campaign is being started in response to the current outbreak, which has affected more than 20,000 people and claimed 454 lives since its onset in February 2023.
Health and Child Care Minister – Dr Douglas Mombeshora received the donations in Harare and said that the supplies will play a necessary role in managing people suffering from cholera.
The minister said, “Today, we thank the Health Resilient Fund, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Parcel Services Foundation and all the partners that contributed to this donation of cholera medicines and commodities.” He added that the medicines are worth US $265,000 which will go a long way to address case management of cholera cases.
Dr Mombeshora acknowledged the support and medicines granted by UNICEF. The officials also presented their gratitude to other partners, preparing for the Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) campaign scheduled to take place from Jan 29, 2024, to Feb 02, 2024.
As per the reports, it is indicated that all ten provinces have reported cases with the most vulnerable groups, including children under the age of 15, constituting 31 per cent of the reported cases. The reports also considered children under the age of five, who made up 14 per cent of the cases.
Recently, Zimbabwe recorded a cumulative 20,446 cholera cases and 452 cholera-related deaths on Jan 24, 2024, which resulted in a case fatality rate of 2.2 percent.
The medicinal supplies received by the government consisted of antibiotics, oral rehydration salts, infusion-giving sets and other commodities used in the treatment of diarrhoeal disease.
Notably, 60 out of 63 districts in Zimbabwe have reported cholera cases to date. Poor water supplies, sanitation, and hygiene were recognised as the major contributors to the outbreak.