Ministry of health is set to kick start national wide immunisation of children under the annual Integrated child health days.
Every year in April and October the Ministry of Health intensifies Maternal Child Health and survival activities during what is commonly referred to as Integrated Child Health Days (ICHDs).
The integrated child health days consolidate the resolve of government to minimise preventable morbidity, mortality and disability due to diarrhoea, pneumonia, measles, tetanus, tuberculosis, infections of the throat among others.
The services provided during the Integrated Child Health days October 2020 include; routine immunization catch-up vaccination, deworming, Vitamin A supplementation in addition to Family planning services and general health education.
According to state minister for primary Health care Dr Moriku Joyce Kaducu, due to COVID-19 disruption many children have missed health services thus creating a backlog of unhealthy children in the country.
While addressing the media in Kampala on Tuesday, Kaducu said this exercise will involve immunisation against several diseases, provision of Vitamins and other services all aimed parenting child morbidity, mortality and disability.
Some of the health activities disrupted due to COVID-19 lockdown include, vaccination against cancer of the cervix, deworming, Vitamin A Supplementation against preventable blindness among others.
“Nearly five hundred thousand (500,000) children who missed various doses of routine vaccination over time. An estimated 12million people aged 19years and above in Kigezi, Ankole, Toro, Bunyoro and Buganda regions in need of Hepatitis B screening and vaccination for prevention of Liver Cirrhosis and Cancer of the liver,” she said.
Kaducu said accumulation of unimmunised children weakens population immunity and is a risk for outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases.
She called for all health facilities to provide immunisation services daily at static points including to minimise missed opportunities for immunisation.
“Health facilities and sub county administrations should ensure two immunisation outreach services are carried to every parish in the month of October supported thorough mobilisation of villages by health assistants, parish chiefs, Village health teams and LC I councils,” she said.