Zambia on course in polio elimination

Government says Zambia is on the verge of eliminating fatal diseases like polio among others.

Ministry of Health Spokesperson Dr. Kennedy Malama says the country has made great strides in its immunization programme by making immunization available to all children.

Dr Malama says Immunization has proven to be one of the cost effective public health intervention programmes that has saved millions of lives from childhood vaccine preventable diseases.

He says it is for this reason that government has developed an immunization Surveillance Plan and the Budget for 2017 as evidence of efficient front-end planning outlining the vision of Expanded Programme on Immunization surveillance in Zambia.

He says this will help articulate the annual framework and context as well as critical factors and activities required to accomplish the surveillance mission.

Speaking during an International workshop on Immunization and Surveillance Plans Review meeting in Lusaka today, Dr. Malama told the gathering that committees have been put in place to strengthen immunization service delivery system.

Speaking at the same event, World Health Organisation Country Representative Dr. Custodia Mandlhate has commended Zambia for being one of the pioneers in implementation of Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in the region.

Dr. Mandlhate has encouraged workshop participants to provide feedback on the status of the implementation of the polio endgame strategic activities in the AFRO Region and East and Southern African sub-Region (ESA).