Health Ministry Introduces Three Additional Vaccines

The Ministry of Health and Child Care has introduced three additional vaccines to the routine Extended Programme of Immunisation (EPI) vaccination schedule for children.

In a statement Secretary for Health and Child Care, Dr Japer Chimedza said three vaccines had been added to ensure an improved health care system. He said:

This communication serves to inform that the Ministry has taken a policy decision to include the following vaccines into the routine EPI vaccination schedule.

Effective 5 June 2021 all children to receive Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine at nine months, effective 1 August 2021 all children to receive Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) second dose at nine months of age. Effective 1 August 2012 all children (boys and girls) to receive additional Td boosters at five and 10 years of age.

The new Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) was introduced through a nationwide catch-up vaccination campaign that integrates vaccines for Polio Prevention (IPV) and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) including Vitamin A supplementation.

TCV is premised on protecting children between nine months and 15 years in line with recommendations from global and local immunisation experts.

This comes as typhoid has been detected in Bulawayo, Harare and Gweru.

More: Pindula News; The Chronicle