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By Caroline Gumbo
Apostolic church sects in Chivi South district are now accepting government’s immunisation programmes against diseases like Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Covid-19 following the deployment of community health workers to educate and mobilise them, a health official has said.
Recently-born children up to the age of five years are also being targeted in the immunisation programme.
This follows a history of vaccine hesitancy due to their religious beliefs which put faith in prayer and holy water ahead of medicine to fight diseases.
In August last year, government blamed apostolic church sects for the surge in measles infections countrywide after the total number of suspected cases jumped from 1,036 to 2,056 in four days.
During a post-Cabinet media brief on August 16, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa told reporters that measles was largely prevalent among those who had not received vaccinations. Over 150 children reportedly lost their lives among apostolic church sects due to their religious beliefs thereby setting back government’s mass vaccination drive.
Masvingo Provincial Nursing Officer (PNO) Cresencia Maphosa told Nhau/Indaba that the role being played by community health workers in the district has positively impacted the sects who are now warming up to take up vaccines during a recent media tour organised by UNICEF.
“The village health workers have made our work easier as far as vaccination programmes are concerned because they are the people who live within the villages and they know the apostolic groups who are ignorant about immunisation. They are approaching and convincing them to get vaccinated,” she said.
A village healthcare worker, Senzeni Musvita testified that their efforts were bearing fruit as far as the government’s immunisation programmes are concerned in the Ganga area where she is currently working with four villages with 256 households.
“My work is to provide basic health care services to villagers. l do door-to-door service delivery and ensure that no one is left out in all age groups. l also encourage and mobilise people in religious sectors especially those from Apostolic churches who are hesitant in taking vaccines and participating in government health care programmes.
“They have been forthcoming as far as these programmes are concerned, which is a huge step in our efforts,” she said.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care with funding support from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation through UNICEF, is conducting an integrated COVID-19 and Routine Immunisation blitz campaign to intensify vaccination among all eligible people aged 12 years and above.
Their target is to reach at least 70% of the total population in order to meet the global requirement as well as routine immunisation uptake including Vitamin A supplementation for children below five years as well as HPV vaccine for girls aged between 10 – 11 years.
Vaccination outreach teams are reaching out to people in churches, shopping centres and Facility Based Village Vaccination supported by house to house social mobilisation, Nhau/Indaba learnt. Nhau/Indaba
