Partners in Health/Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo (PIH/APZU) has reaffirmed its commitment towards improving health service delivery in Neno district where the organization has spent K80 million to ensure availability of Cholera vaccine.
This is according to PIH/APZU Chief Operating Officer, Basimenye Nhlema who was speaking on Monday 1st August, 2022 when the district’s health department launched oral cholera vaccination campaign.
Nhlema said as part of commitment to improving health service delivery in Neno district, PIH/APZU will spend around K80 million in the oral cholera vaccination campaign which will run from Monday 1st July to Friday 5th July.
She said the pumping in of the millions is to make sure that every person in the district has received the vaccine so as to reduce threats of further spreading of the outbreak as the district has this far registered 127 cases with two deaths.
“We have supported the ministry with money amounting to K80 million and this has covered training healthcare providers and community volunteers on how they can administer the vaccine. The amount also covers transportation costs of the vaccine from Blantyre to various distribution centers
“Apart from this we are also providing technical support, thus making sure that our teams are in the fields raising awareness. As an organization that has been here working with the ministry of health, we are still here looking at so many other ways which we could continue to support,” commits Nhlema.
Nhlema then encouraged people to continue adhering to hygiene measures saying the vaccine alone cannot help combat the disease.
In a separate interview, Neno District Environmental Health Officer, Magret Mikwamba said cases of cholera outbreak have been skyrocketing in the district as a result of drinking unsafe water.
Mikwamba, however, indicated that the district has enough boreholes, but she complained that most communities prefer drinking water from rivers and other unsafe sources as water from boreholes are said to be so salty.
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