Government to Enforce Vaccination By-Laws

5 April 2011

Governemnt should enforce vaccination by-laws pertaining to animals to curb the spread of trans-boundary diseases, the director of Epidemiology and Disease Control in the Health Ministry Dr Portia Manangazira has said.

In an interview on Monday, Dr Manangazira said the laws would help Government’s efforts to control transference of diseases from animals to humans.

She said the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare had embarked on a joint project with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Veterinary Services Department to curb further occurrence of animal to human infections.

“We are in this joint project under the Support Programme for Integrated National Action Plan,” she said.

SPINAP spearheaded the formation of the project after eight countries in the region had been affected by diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (bird flu).

Dr Manangazira said the project, which came to an end last year, was a success as it assisted the health sector in attending to the H1N1 virus (swine flu).

Vehicles have been bought to assist with monitoring to curb the spread of trans-boundary diseases.

“We have procured four vehicles and three have already been deployed to the Ministry of Agriculture,” she said.

Meanwhile, Government has called on the donor community to extend financial assistance towards training of environmental health assistants.

Speaking at the handover of vehicles, computers, printers and stationery in Harare yesterday from the European Union, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Welfare Douglas Mombeshora said Government had insufficient funds to train EHAs.

In January this year, Government opened four centres to train environmental health technicians.

“It should be noted that the project will have an everlasting positive impact on the delivery of health services in Zimbabwe and environmental/public health in particular.

“Consequently, at the end of the project disease control programmes are expected to be tremendously improved especially in the area of communicable diseases,” Dr Mombeshora said.

However, Deputy Minister Mombeshora said funding for the project would dry up by December this year.

He said after practical training, EHAs were expected to go back to training schools for a national diploma but Government does not have funds to cater for such a large group.

The EU donated 10 Nissan single-cab trucks, 60 computers, 16 printers, IT equipment, text-books, stationery and building materials worth more than US$147 000.

Head of Delegation in Zimbabwe, Ambassador Aldo Dell’Aricca represented the EU.

The vehicles will be distributed to training schools and will be used for field training.

“This is a very critical project as it will contribute towards the overall improvement of health delivery services especially at the community level,” said Ambassador Dell’Ariccia.

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