Zambia Launches Measles Vaccination Campaign for 4 Million Children

On September 20, Zambia launched a nationwide measles vaccination campaign targeting four million children aged nine months to five years, Anadolu Agency revealed yesterday.

Health Minister Elijah Muchima announced that the campaign will run from September 23 to 28 across all 116 districts. The initiative comes in response to a significant drop in immunization rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 500,000 children missing their first measles dose and about 300,000 missing both doses between 2020 and 2023.

Muchima warned of potential outbreaks, citing 4,412 suspected measles cases reported this year, resulting in three deaths. Nathan Bakyaita from the World Health Organization noted that with support from GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, Zambia received 5.32 million vaccine doses for the campaign, costing approximately $1.1 million. The government aims to restore immunization coverage and protect vulnerable children from measles.