Zomba District Health Office on Wednesday launched third round of polio vaccination campaign across the district to reach all children aged five years below with oral polio vaccine.
To this effect, Zomba District Council Chairperson, Councillor, Blazio Chinthenga called on parents to ensure that they vaccinate under 5 children against polio virus which causes paralysis.
Councillor Chinthenga made the call at Senior Chief Mlumbe in the district at the third phase of the polio vaccination campaign.
“Government has decided to protect all children from polio as such let every parent or guardian bring children for the oral vaccine,” said Chinthenga while calling on local leaders to mobilise their subjects to vaccinate their children in the third round.
He added that polio causes paralysis in children and this condition is irreversible as such there is need to have all children vaccinated against polio virus across the district beginning from 11 to 14.August.
Zomba District Council’s Director of Health and Social Services, Dr. Alexander Chijuwa expressed hope that all the parents in the district will come forward to vaccinate children against polio.
He said all health workers will go door to door, all trading centers, churches and all places that are convenient for the vaccination to ensure that all children are reached with the oral vaccine.
“All children will be protected from polio virus if they receive the vaccine four times, ” he said, disclosing that Zomba has already gone through first and second polio vaccination campaigns from April this year.
Dr. Chijuwa called on parents that go to work to spare time within the campaign period (11.to 14 August) to ensure their children do not miss out on the vaccine.
He called on people that stay in houses with brick wall fences to open up their gates to allow health workers to vaccinate children.
In his remarks, Senior Chief Mlumbe reminded people in his area that polio is a health threat to children saying no parent would want their children to suffer from polio.
The third polio vaccination campaign launch at Mlumbe was spiced up by modern dance musician Lulu.
