Malawi to Launch Integrated Vaccination Campaign in May

By Xinhua 

April 20, 2023

Malawi is set to embark on a countrywide integrated Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV), Measles-Rubella (MR), and Polio Supplemental Immunization campaign from May 15 to 21, health authorities have announced.

A statement released Wednesday signed by the country’s Secretary for Health, Samson Mndolo, said the ministry will also conduct the Vitamin A supplementation campaign for all children during the same period.

The statement said the campaign was aimed at strengthening children’s immune status from vaccine-preventable diseases and vitamin A deficiency.

According to the statement, Malawi has been experiencing sporadic typhoid fever outbreaks over the past years and still continues to register increasing numbers of typhoid fever cases.

The Secretary for Health’s statement said, among other factors, surgical complications related to typhoid disease (bowel perforation), poor sanitation, unprotected water sources, and unhygienic food handling practices contribute to the high transmission of typhoid.

“High antibiotic resistance continues to make it difficult to treat typhoid effectively. Considering the stated reasons, primary prevention through vaccination is a game changer,” the statement added.

On measles, the statement observed that currently, some neighboring countries are experiencing the disease’s outbreak, making the risk of getting the outbreak in the southern African developing country high.

The Ministry of Health has since appealed to all parents and guardians of children below 15 years of age to take their children to the clinics or other sites designated for supplementary vaccination and Vitamin A supplementation during the campaign.

The ministry has further appealed to all parents and guardians of children under five years of age to continue taking their children to clinics for routine vaccination, Vitamin A supplementation, and growth monitoring.