Lusaka,  21 September 2016 - In its continued efforts to improve child health and survival, the Ministry of Health introduced the Measles Rubella vaccine (MR) in the national routine immunisation system. The vaccine is being introduced through the nationwide preventive vaccination campaign targeting a total of 6,926,757 children aged 9 months to under 15 years. The vaccination campaign runs from 19th to 24th September 2016 and covers a total of 103 districts in all the 10 provinces in the country.

Following this national campaign, the vaccine will be given to children at the same age as measles vaccine for the first and second doses at 9 months and 18 months respectively during routine immunisation. The campaign theme underscores the need to reach each and every child and the importance of ensuring that each child enjoys the right to have a healthy start in life.

In a move to attain high vaccination coverage, the World Health Organization (WHO, United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and other partners have worked jointly with the Ministry of Health in ensuring that health workers from all the districts are trained in all aspects of the campaign, provision of all the logistical and technical support, to ensure timely delivery of vaccines and supplies and to take care of injection safety and good practices during the campaign.

A multimedia awareness campaign has also been launched to ensure that relevant communication messages are delivered to the communities in order to ensure their full participation and to achieve the goal of reaching every child no matter where they are, including hard to reach areas. The campaign has been financed through a grant from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) and has been supported by WHO, UNICEF and other partners.  

The introduction of the MR vaccine is very timey says the Minister of Health Dr. Chitalu Chilufya “ In 2012, the World Health Assembly set out to eliminate measles and rubella in the six global regions by the year 2020. While the other continents have made significant headway in eliminating the two diseases, Africa remains far behind. According to the latest immunisation data for Zambia, only 52 districts out of the total 104 districts, have a coverage of above 95% for first dose of the measles containing vaccine while the rest fall below the stipulated coverage“ he said at the official launch of the campaign which took place in Lusaka.

The introduction of MR vaccine in Zambia is in line with the recommendation by the World Health Organization that countries should take the opportunity offered by accelerated measles control and elimination activities to introduce rubella-containing vaccine (RCV) as either MR or measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.

The WHO Representative, Dr. Jacob Mufunda  echoed the importance of the introduction of the MR vaccine and reiterated WHO’s support in ensuring that the country reaches the Measles and Rubella elimination phase which entails the following: achieving at least 95% measles rubella first dose coverage at national and district level; achieving at least 95% measles rubella campaign coverage in all districts; the country recording less than 1 measles case per million population per year and achieving the set surveillance performance indicators. 

Zambia is also moving in line with the global vision of achieving a world without measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome. Zambia has a high burden of rubella infection and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Research conducted in African countries on women of reproductive age which includes Zambia shows that 6-16% of the population were susceptible to rubella virus infection. This relatively high rate is indicates an increased risk of Congenital Rubella Syndrome.

The introduction of MR vaccine is a necessary step to accelerate progress towards achieving the global goal of measles and rubella elimination by the year 2020  set by the Measles & Rubella Initiative (M&R) Initiative), a global partnership launched in 2001 led by the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF. It is also an important 
milestone in protecting children from preventable diseases and in line with the Sustainable Development Goal number 3 which has among other targets that of ending by 2030, preventable deaths of newborns and children under five years.

Zambia has seen sustained improvements in child health and survival during the past decade with under 5 mortality declining from   168 deaths per 100 live births in 2002 to 75 deaths per 1000 live births in 2014. The UN Child Mortality estimate for 2015 put the Under-five mortality at 64/1000 live births, which was the MDG 4 national target. These improvements are directly attributed to sustained immunisation coverage and other child health interventions.

The World Health Organisation, and other partners are committed to assisting the Government of the Republic of Zambia in increasing and sustaining high immunization coverage and striving to reaching at least 95% national vaccination coverage and working towards attaining the global goal of elimination of measles and rubella by 2020.

There has been firm commitment to fully implement the measles reduction strategy, which includes vaccinating all children against measles before their first birthday via routine health services and providing second opportunity for measles vaccination through massive vaccinating campaigns conducted in 2003 and 2007, 2010 and 2012.

This vaccination campaign will strengthen the routine immunization system in the country through the provision of essential cold chain equipment, strengthening measles case based surveillance with the integration of rubella surveillance component and increased capacity among the health workers through training including community involvement and participation.

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For more information contact :

Nora Mweemba , Health Information and Promotion  Officer. 
Mobile: 097873976
E-mail: mweemban [at] who.int 
Tel No: 00-260-211-255 398  / 255 336 / 255 322, 
Fax: 00-260-211-252863
 
Dr. Penelope Kalesha Masumbu, National Professional Officer- Routine Immunisation
Mobile: 0955 740455
E-mail: masumbup [at] who.int
Tel No: 00-260-211-255 398  / 255 336 / 255 322, 
Fax: 00-260-211-252863

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Below:

01 Minister of Health, Hon. Chitalu Chilufya flagging off the march at the launch of the national MR vaccination campaign in Lusaka.

02 WHO Representative, Dr. Jacob Mufunda (centre) witnessing the vaccination of children at Chelstone Clinic in Lusaka.

03 Minister of Health, Hon. Chitalu Chilufya giving a statement at the launch of the national MR vaccination campaign in Lusaka.