33, 678 children are expected to receive various primary health care services in Kabwe, Central Province during the forthcoming child health week.
District Health Director (DHD), Tiza Mfune says all is set for the forthcoming child health week that starts on Monday the 20th of November 2017 and ends on Saturday the 25th of November 2017.
Dr Mfune says the exercise is vigorous campaign to accord children who could have missed their scheduled immunizations to be immunized and want to capture as many children as possible.
ZANIS reports that Dr Mfune said in an interview today that all children aged 0-59 months must be immunized to protect them from preventable diseases.
The services to be offered during the week include Vitamin A supplementations, De-worming and, growth monitoring and promotion.
“We want to give an opportunity to those children that could have missed their scheduled routine immunizations. We want to capture and immunize as many children as possible,” he said.
Other services will include HIV Testing with a view of elimination of Mother to child Transmission, malaria treatment and distribution of mosquito nets as well as management of sick children.
Dr Mfune disclosed that drugs and mosquito nets have already been distributed to the 38 government health facilities that will conduct the immunization programme.
He emphasized that growth monitoring and promotion is a very important and integral aspect of child health care because it helps to assess how a child is growing while providing a platform for counsel to mothers on the recommended feeding pattern of children.
He indicated that children born from HIV-positive mothers will also be scrutinized and tested with a view of initiating them on treatment in an event that they test positive.
Dr Mfune observed that infants who area born of HIV-positive are supposed to be monitored for two years so that they are linked to care and if they are HIV-positive, they should immediately be initiated on treatment.
He further said health personnel will also offer information dissemination on various family planning methods, counseling, testing and treat for mothers whose results may come out positive.
He noted that the counseling, testing and treating are within the mandate of the health facilities countrywide to achieve the goal 90-90-90.
Dr Mfune explained that this simply means is that 90 per cent of the country’s population should know their HIV status, 90 per cent of people living with the virus should be on treatment and 90 per cent should have their viral load suppressed.
Meanwhile Dr Mfune said his office has intensified mobilization for the forthcoming child health week.
He said his office has partnered with three radio stations namely KNC, Maranatha and Power FM for phone-in programmes and urged the members of the community to participate and ask any pertinent questions.
The District Health office has engaged the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) for mobile announcements in the catchment area.
“….The services to be offered during the week include Vitamin A supplementations, De-worming and, growth monitoring and promotion.
“We want to give an opportunity to those children that could have missed their scheduled routine immunizations. We want to capture and immunize as many children as possible,” he said.
I expect that U5 is registered at Mukobeko clinic, must attend without fail especially the ‘growth monitoring and promotion’, he has remained politically under5 for far too long. I have just managed to grow Spaka to under10, but the signs are there that he may relapse if he is not monitored regularly.
Happily, I hear that the statement by under5 “…my wife Mutinta and I are grateful that you came to renew your membership of our (my and I) party…” has caused some disquiet in the up.nDonkeys. Now they are demanding a national convention or congress. But I don’t know about the “national” bit. From 2006 this has specifically been a chuundu chaitwa, for good reasons. Their colleagues NDC are going to Mulungushi Rock of Authority, the established host of national party congresses as opposed to tribal ones.
Sorry the postings above were meant to go under “NDC to shock PF”.
I apologise most sincerely to our beloved children, their parents, doctors and donors, and all Zambians who care about our children.
LT, please delete and re-post under NDC.