Population estimates of children due for measles immunisation in Samfya were underestimated, resulting into some centres running out of the vaccines.
A check at Mabo-Kunda, Ninge and Katanshya Rural Health Centres yesterday revealed
that stocks of measles vaccines were allocated based on central statistics estimated
population of children under five years.
However, all the three centres showed almost a significant increase in the number of
children and had to send distress calls to the district for the provision of more
vaccines.
Both at Mabo-Kunda and Ninge, the immunisation exercise had to temporary stop after
vaccines ran out, and health authorities had to use a ZANIS mobile unit van to rush
vaccines to the centres in the afternoon.
At Mabo-Kunda the statistics showed that the children due for measles immunization
were 819, but the actual vaccinations were by today expected to reach over 1,000.
By yesterday 886 children were vaccinated and some more were still coming.
At Ninge, the population estimates for vaccination were at 311, but by 16:00 hours
yesterday the number of children vaccinated had reached 859.
The staff at the centre said they still had one area of Kabolelo where they were yet
to move in to vaccinate children today.
With the children immunisation week still having today and tomorrow to close, the
staff said they expect the number of children immunised under Ninge Health Centre to
be well above 1,000 when statistics had put figures at 311.
At Katanshya the statistics had estimated 886 children but the head count by the
rural health centre staff has gone up to 1,596 children to be immunised.
The nurse in-charge of immunisation, a Mrs. Makondo, said the underestimates will
not have any adverse effect as there was foresight by the Ministry of Health to send
in buffer stocks for measles immunization to the district.
Nevertheless, this is the second time that the population estimates have come into
question in Samfya with Chief Bwalya last month complaining over a shortfall of
relief food sent to his area in the swamps because the vice president’s office based
the supplies on the CSO census estimates..
A basic failure of CSO. I doubt migration or excess fertility can account for a difference of 200%. If they cant provide population figures that are closer to reality, what do they exist for? So, our child mortality rates will stay high and give us a bad name.
200% off target! ha ha ha somebody did a seriously sloppy job. The current population statistics from CSO are 5 to 10 years old. It’s not prudent to just pickthese figures up and make casual estimates from them. Alot of specialised statistical tools have been developed in the last decade to deal with time dependent estimates, and people have attained PhDs doing this. People, including CSO, must consult rightly before investing in anything that require use of statistics. I’m sure UNZA Department of Maths and Statistics, and Demography Division would have provided better estimates.
Children’s Immunization, this day & age shouldn’t be hitting the headlines – it is a symptomatology of the failure of this govt & it’s systems, either both Health & CSO or one of the two has failed the other. Vaccines are so cheap, if we are at all yapping about achieving the MDG’s – this is one area, well supported by WHO if requested, as it is in the global interest to rid these diseases once & for all. WHO only steps away when a country achieves the ability to run its immunization programmes sufficiently & after which it then just monitors. Zambia, I can safely assume did reach that point. This case, thus just demonstrates how bad things are getting inspite of LPM & Magande yapping about how good things are getting!! They are indeed in cuckoo land!!
Right on the point Bauze! The community has responded by bringing their babies to vaccinations, but the planning on the part of the providers has failed. We need to think more seriously about doing the basic things right. There are more diseases than just HIV/AIDS which seems to be taking up much of our staff and time because there’s more donor money in it. Measles is one disease we have known to control with cheap, simple strategies. Preventing babies from getting HIV only to lose to measles is a sad, but real, trade-off for zambia.