Massive vaccination gets underway - by Fifi Rhodes
Related Stories
Font Size
09 Sep 2010
RUNDU – Sanlam Namibia and the Hockey School of Excellence have joined hands since 2004 to develop hockey in the Kavango Region.
Top of Europe
09 Sep 2010
A Masters squash team from Namibia participated in the World Masters Squash Championships in Cologne, Germany from 23-27 August 2010. The te...
Judo students graded
09 Sep 2010
WINDHOEK - The Windhoek Judo Club last Saturday successfully graded its students in the followingb order:
Kaylinn Bock: Yellow ...
Research symposium next week
Kaylinn Bock: Yellow ...
09 Sep 2010
WINDHOEK – The first-ever biannual National Research Symposium in the country will be held next Wednesday by the Ministry of Education throu...
Improving school management through ICT
09 Sep 2010
An education opinion
TRY to imagine a country where ALL of our schools are ALL interconnected by a central educational management...
World heritage meeting in capital
TRY to imagine a country where ALL of our schools are ALL interconnected by a central educational management...
09 Sep 2010
WINDHOEK – To the Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture, Kazenambo Kazenambo, it is of cardinal and critical importance tha...
Plan pushes for opening Sperrgebiet
09 Sep 2010
WINDHOEK – The Sperrgebiet Infrastructure Development and Staffing Plan is out on tender. The plan will facilitate the development of the pa...
WAD appeals to Chief Justice
09 Sep 2010
WINDHOEK – The Women’s Action for Development (WAD) Executive Director, Veronica de Klerk, has directed a letter of appeal to the Chief Just...
OPUWO â€" Ministry of Health and Social Services will today begin a massive measles vaccination drive in the Opuwo health district.The ministry is calling on all residents of the area to turn up at the various points with their children aged six months and above.
Health workers have been working round the clock during the last few days to finalise logistics for the campaign over this vast region.
However, heavy rains that fell on Sunday and yesterday may cause problems and Kunene Regional Health Director, Linda Nambundunga, is afraid things might not go as planned.
"With the vastness and rugged terrain we have to travel, the people might not come out from their houses.
People that find themselves in the region over the last few days won't be part of the target groups. The supplies are also just for them. We will not pass anyone, except newcomers," she said.
The vaccination campaign will last until Thursday. While the target group is 45Â 000 inhabitants, there is provision to vaccinate more people.
The region, especially the Opuwo health district, has been hit by a measles outbreak that health officials in the region have been battling to control since last year.
The disease initially broke out last September and cases are still being recorded.
The Measles Treatment Centre at the Opuwo District Hospital has 18 patients that have been isolated.
Nambundunga said a selective vaccination campaign the directorate of health in the region embarked upon since the outbreak reached 1Â 776 children under five years.
Nambundunga told New Era that she was hoping that 60 teams would cover the whole district adequately.
However, by yesterday she could only assemble 48 teams, some without a nurse.
"We are in trouble with human resources. The NDF (Namibia Defence Force) sent us a number of nurses but we need more. A team is supposed to consists of two nurses, a volunteer and a driver. Several regions have dispatched nurses to assist their Kunene counterparts to carry out this massive exercise," said the regional health director.
More nurses were expected to arrive from the Ohangwena and Oshana regions late last night. Even with additional staff from the other regions and the Namibia Defence Force, Nambundunga said there was a shortfall of 60 nurses.
She said the shortfall had been communicated to the Ministry of Health and Social Services headquarters for on-passing to the Ministry of Defence for reinforcements.
The disease, Nambundunga said, is affecting all age groups due to the low immunity of the residents.
Measles is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus. Symptoms include a sudden onset of fever, coughing, runny nose, red eyes, and a generalised fine rash that spreads down the body. It is spread by coughing and sneezing, and close contact with fluids from an infected person's nose and mouth.
Possible complications include diarrhoea, pneumonia, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), and conjunctivitis (commonly called 'pink eye') or even blindness.
Back to Top
Copyright 2008 ©New Era Publications . All rights reserved.| Site Designed and Hosted by Omalaeti Technologies | Privacy Statement | Disclaimer | Contact Us
