Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697707311124.pdf (Zimbabwe)
HEALTH VP & MINISTER OF HEALTH DIRECTS INVESTMENT TO VP & MINISTER OF HEALTH DIRECTS INVESTMENT TO ZIMBABWE PHARMACEUTICALS ZIMBABWE PHARMACEUTICALS ZIMBABWE PHARMACEUTICALS OUR PLANET, OUR HEALTH FOR PUBLIC HEALTH DRUG & SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN ZIMBABWE PREPAREDNESS ZIMBABWE KEEPS AN EYE ON MONKEYPOX THREAT EMERGENCIES 40 HEALTH IN THIS ISSUE THE MINISTER'S DESK IN THE NEWS HEALTH SYSTEMS DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH SPECIFIC DISEASES AND POPULATIONS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE NEWS MINISTRY OF HEALTH PS MoHCC Updates Disease Monitoring Report Staff News EDITOR’S PICK WORKING TOGETHER ENTERTAINMENT Health Trivia Editorial Team Issue 40 Chief Director - HR: Chief Director - Public Health: Dr S Nyadundu Dr M Dobbie Chief Director - Inspectorate: Dr I Dube Chief Director - Curative Services: Mr M Hove Assistant: E Machisa healthmatterszim@gmail.com Design and Production: Mr D S Duma Health Matters Magazine A Ministry of Health and Child Care Publication Mr Donald Mujiri EDITOR’S NOTE We are glad to have you back on board our Health Matters platform.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our partners for the support rendered to make our Ministry's publication a reality.

The Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon.

General (R td) Dr. C.D.G Chiwenga led the drive to secure investments in the health sector and this is yielding positive results as we gear up for local manufacturing of pharmaceuticals.
e The world is worried about an unusual rise in monkeypox cases with the possibility of another global health crisis similar COVID-19.

Currently there is no proven treatment for monkeypox virus but the disease can be fatal with a case fatality rate of up to 6%.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care has put its structures on high alert.

WHO has since declared the Monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
African Health Ministers met on the side-lines of the May 2022 World Health Assembly in Geneva and deliberated on the wild polio outbreaks.

Five countries in our SADC region are well on course to manage the poliovirus in Africa.

The President declared war against drug dealers in june last year and established an inter-ministerial taskforce to deal with the problem.

The country is battling drug and substance abuse which is on the increase.
The MOHCC heads the Treatment, Rehabilitation and Harm reduction pillar as an integral member of the committee In this issue, Health matters introduces its readers to the Health Inspectorate Division headed by the Chief Director, Israel Dube.

Under this division is Director Quality Assurance and Director Patient and Special Audits.
Our other sections feature this year's Malaria commemoration focus, a brief look at Xerodema Pigmentosa which is a skin disease just-like monkeypox and we help readers with 'demic' terms that have become part of everyday vocabulary including pandemic, epidemic and endemic And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever Amen - Matthew 6:13 Letters to the Editor As part of our goal to discuss important local health issues, we would like to invite you to submit letters.

We will consider your letters and publish them upon recommendation from the editorial committee.

We value the inclusion of a diversity of voices, perspectives and views.

Letters should be up to 250 words and can be submitted by anyone, including columnists , amateurs and citizens.
Letters should be original, non-political and public health related The comments and views published in Health Matters do not necessarily represent the views of the MoHCC and/or its PARTNERS Submissions to healthmatterszim .

contact email address and number @gmail.com and mohcccomms@gmail.com.
Include author's real name, THE MINISTER’S DESK PROMOTING INVESTMENT IN ZIMBABWE’S HEALTH VP AND HEALTH MINISTER DR CHIWENGA DIRECTS INVESTMENTS TO PHARMACEUTICALS African Health Exhibition and Conference Egypt The Vice President of Zimbabwe and Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Constantino Chiwenga, chats with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli at the 1st Edition of the African Health Exhibition and Conference in Egypt (June 5-7, 2022) Zimbabwe's health sector is abound with opportunities for investment open to locals, continental and international partners.
These opportunities have witnessed the Minister of Health and his team travel to Singapore and Egypt on a drive to secure investments for the health sector.

The visits come after Zimbabwe's attendance at the Dubai Expo 2020 which has seen investment opportunities that are now being finalised.

There is need to speed up developments in the supply of pharmaceuticals and medicines in Zimbabwe and the region as a whole.
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who is also Minister of Health and Child Care, met Egypt's acting Minister of Health Khalid Ghaffar on the sidelines of the African Health Exhibition and Conference where they discussed critical health matters.

VP Chiwenga took advantage of the Expo to discuss areas of collaboration with the Egyptians whose progress in health provision is impressive.

p arastatals, and the private sector.


Egypt's health delivery system is progressive in that it involves public and private health care providers financed and managed through the The model guarantees state, quality healthcare to the entire citizenry and those in need of better quality, have the option to choose the arastatals or the private sector route, albeit at a cost.
p The symposium on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) held in Jakarta Indonesia for Health Ministers in April presented another opportunity for Zimbabwe to market investment opportunities in Health.

The Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Constantino Chiwenga, set-off for the 2022 WASH Sector Ministers meeting on a dual mission to attend to WASH business and also on an economic diplomatic mission.
role and invest Zimbabwe through its own resources capacitated local industries to boost the productive sector and look beyond the retail in the production of medical consumables.

As a means to boost the scope for investment, Government assured the pharmaceutical industry that state owned Natpharm, will buy the locally produced consumables, and encouraged those in the production sector to continue producing locally.
There is however need to increase production and venture into other medical consumables and equipment to enable Zimbabwe to be self-sufficient and this can be achieved through joint ventures and technology transfers.

It is against this background that Zimbabwe could soon be a hub of medical drugs manufacturing for national and continental consumption following the consummation of a joint venture with Indonesia.
Indonesia's giant medical consumable manufacturer, BioFarma is looking at partnering Zimbabwe's Natpharm to produce consumables for the African market with the manufacturing processes being done in our country.

Zimbabwe already manufactures medicinal drugs but is yet to venture in the critical injectable and large volume intravenous fluids sub-sector, a gap which could be closed by the mooted partnership.
The company already manufactures Covid-19 vaccines, and Zimbabwe has won international praise for it’s response to the global pandemic.

“As Minister of Health and Child Care, I fully welcome your interest to partner with the National Pharmaceutical Company of Zimbabwe (NATPHARM) which is wholly owned by the Government to manufacture pharmaceutical products including vaccines in Zimbabwe.

We are ready to receive you in Zimbabwe to discuss this proposal,” said VP Chiwenga.
“We appreciate the fact that your company has a lot of experience in this area and manufactures vaccines for measles, polio, hepatitis B and pentavalent vaccines for domestic use and for the WHO and UNICEF.
“You have modern technology and through this partnership, there will be reciprocal exchange of skills and transfer of technology to our pharmaceutical industry.” Zimbabwe is strategically positioned within the SADC region providing a platform to create distribution into the continent under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA), which has a market of 1,2 billion people.
In their proposal to partner Natpharm, BioFarma's Chief Executive Officer Mr Honesti Basyr said they will transfer technology to their Zimbabwean counterparts.

4 Health Matters - for a healthy community ASSEMBLY UNIT IN A PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING PLANT PROMOTING INVESTMENT IN ZIMBABWE’S HEALTH THE MINISTER’S DESK Victoria Falls as a special economic zone, Intrapharma has indicated its willingness to set the plant in the resort city.
up Through its partnership with Zimbabwe, Intrapharma hopes to tap into supplying the African market provided for under the AfCTA, whose aim is to boost the continent's trade position in the world.

VP Chiwenga said a joint venture agreement will be signed between Pharco, Intrapharma and Zimbabwe, and the name of the agreed industry would be ZimPharma.

“The pharmaceutical industry in Zimbabwe had gone down and we are revamping it.

The industries had gone done but now we have revived over 15 of them.
The team from Dubai and the team from Egypt are now coming in with some of the technology we don't have and the other materials we don't have in Zimbabwe.

From these new technologies they will be producing 90 different types of drugs.

When they came to Zimbabwe, they actually went around to see where they will set up their company and they chose Victoria Falls.

Their coming in will also attract quite a number of industries.
A tripartite agreement will be signed between Pharco, Intrapharma and Zimbabwe which will be called Zimpharma,” .

There exists a gap in Zimbabwe's pharmaceutical industry where injectables and large volume intravenous fluids are not produced locally, providing opportunities for investment.

Zimbabwe has won several international endorsements for a thorough and comprehensive response to the global Covid-19 pandemic.This minimised COVID-19's effects on the citizenry.
The Vice President shared some of the measures taken by the country to record success in its response like capacitating universities and the private sector to produce material to respond to the pandemic like personal protective equipment (PPE) and other consumables.

s He said Zimbabwe is looking at developing joint ventures with Egyptian companies and start the production of consumables for the Zimbabwean and Southern African market.
s “We are looking at collaborations and partnership that will ensure that Zimbabwe's capacity to produce medicines and medical devices for domestic use is significantly improved from around 10 percent to over 80 percent by 2030.

The two discussed modalities along jointly capacitating their respective pharmaceutical industries which are key enablers for any thriving healthcare system.

Progress was initiated at the Expo towards the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on healthcare.
“As we seek to strengthen our health systems in A f r i c a , w e l o o k f o r w a r d t o t h e f u l l operationalisation of the Africa Centre Diseases Control and the soon to be established African Medicines Agency which will assure us of sustained availability of effective medicines to combat any future pandemics and limit their impact on our economies and people,” he said.
Engagements in Egypt revealed that Intrapharma, a United Arab Emirates-based medical consumables manufacturer plans to set up a drug manufacturing plant in Zimbabwe before year end.

This presents a boost to Government's drive to revamp the to lure investment and efforts medical consumable industry.

Intrapharma is one of the biggest consumable manufacturers in the world and has diverse ventures across the globe including in Egypt.
VP Chiwenga met Intrapharma chairman, Dr Ibrahim Ramel, the conference and discussed sealing a deal that will see the global giant coming into Zimbabwe.

With Government having designated at The Vice President of Zimbabwe and Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Constantine Chiwenga, is received by Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin in Jakarta.
(pic courtesy of ANTARA/HO-BPMI Setwapres) Health Matters - for a healthy community 5 NEWS WORLD KEEPS AN EYE ON MONKEYPOX THREAT Monkeypox is a rare viral infection similar to human smallpox and was first discovered in 1958 in monkeys kept for research.

The first human case of monkeypox was recorded in 1970.

The disease occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions.
The virus belongs to the family Poxviridae, which also includes the viruses causing smallpox and cowpox disease.

It typically presents itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications.

The disease is usually self-limiting with the symptoms lasting from two to four weeks.

Severe cases can also occur.

In recent times, the case fatality ratio has reportedly been around 3-6 per cent but can be up to 10 per cent.
Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus.

It is said to be spread by rodents such as rats, mice and squirrels.

The disease is transmitted through lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and MoHCC on MONKEYPOX the public and its The Ministry of Health and Child Care warn stakeholders of an on-going outbreak of monkeypox in 19 endemic and non- endemic countries within and outside Africa.
ed Currently, there is no proven treatment for monkeypox virus infection but the disease is self-limiting (it resolves on its own within a few weeks).

Despite the above the disease can be fatal with a case fatality rate of up to 6%.
C Prevention and ontrol measures · Avoiding contact with animals that could harbor the virus (including animals that are sick or that have been found dead from unknown causes) · Avoiding contact with any materials, such as bedding and clothing that has been in contact with a sick animal or person suspected to have monkeypox infection.

· Isolating suspected infected patients from others who could be at risk for infection.
· Practising good hand hygiene such as washing of hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

· Using personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for suspected patients.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care wishes to reassure the public that currently no cases have been reported in Zimbabwe but it is monitoring the evolving situation of the outbreak in other countries with keen interest.

The ministry has also placed its structures on high alert.
Anyone who suspects that they have similar symptoms as that of monkeypox should report to the nearest health facility as soon as possible or call our toll free line 2019 for assistance.

contaminated materials such as bedding.

The virus is less contagious than smallpox and causes less severe illness.

Health officials, however, have also noted that some of these infections may be transmitted through sexual contact.
The WHO said it was also investigating many cases being of people identifying as gay or bisexual.

The WHO said the early cases were unusual for three reasons: All but one have no relevant travel history to areas where monkeypox is endemic; most are being detected through sexual health services and among men who have sex with men, and the wide geographic spread across Europe and beyond suggests that transmission may have been going on for some time.
The incubation period or interval from infection to onset of symptoms of monkeypox is usually from six to 13 days but can range from five to 21 days.

Vaccines used during the smallpox eradication programme also provided protection against monkeypox.

Newer vaccines have been developed of which one has been approved for prevention of the disease.

An antiviral agent developed for the treatment of smallpox has also been licensed for the treatment of monkeypox, according to WHO.
Monkeypox cases have been reported in several European countries.

In what Germany described as the "largest outbreak" in Europe ever, the cases of monkeypox have now been reported in several countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom - as well as the United States, Canada, and Australia.

The first European case was confirmed on May 7 in an individual who returned to England from Nigeria.
Since then, over 100 cases have been confirmed or suspected in Europe of the rare viral infection, which is more common to west and central Africa.

Scientists feel that the monkeypox outbreak will not evolve into a pandemic like Covid-19 as this virus does not spread as easily as SARS-COV-2.

Fabian Leendertz, a researcher at the Robert Koch Institute in Germany, described the outbreak as an epidemic.

"However, it is very unlikely that this epidemic will last long.
The cases can be well isolated via contact tracing and there are also drugs and effective vaccines that can be used if necessary," he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

According to the WHO, there is no specific vaccine for monkeypox, but data shows that the vaccines used to eradicate smallpox are up to 85% effective against monkeypox.
Health Matters - for a healthy community 6 PS MoHCC Updates OVERVIEW OF RE-STRUCTURED MINISTRY As a continuation to our last edition of Health Matters, in which we presented the ministry's organogram, we offer an insight as to how the restructuring is progressing.

The streamlining exercise and expansion of MoHCC's operations is meant to make better use of staff in the ministry, but without adding to numbers with the upgrades coming from within.
The reorganisation also seeks to transform the work ethic of health professionals, which will be aligned to the oath of their profession.

“The main objective of the restructuring was to achieve efficiency, effectiveness, integrity, as well as integration of the Ministry of Health and Child Care with national institutions by removing insulating tendencies, limited or no coordination with national institutions.
The specific objectives were to develop a new structure of the Ministry of Health and Child Care meant to achieve the above and to develop a funding model for the new structure as well as address conditions of service of health professionals,” This statement by VP and Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Chiwenga marked the commencement of the restructuring exercise back in 2020.

The restructuring of the health portfolio is following three stages.
The first stage was to add a new top layer to the national health delivery system; the second stage was to develop an organised strategic department; and the third and final stage was to develop and adopt a sustainable funding model for the national healthcare system and develop conditions of services for the health staff to drive the new Ministry of Health and Child Care structure.

PROFILE OF HEALTH INSPECTORATE DIVISION The Chief Director of this division is Dr Israel Dube.
He is supported by two directors namely Director Quality Assurance and Director Patient Safety and Special Audits plus two Deputy directors for Quality Assurance, Patient Safety, procurement Audits as well as Investigative auditors and several other officers.

The purpose of this division is to promote excellence in health care service provision through establishing quality management systems.
The system seeks to ensure that resources are available, staff are empowered to deliver while the system requirement for audits or inspections will be done to verify fulfilment of set provisions and make provisions for curbing corruption, fraud and management of gaps.

This will aid in improving quality in health service delivery.
Inspection and audit systems are there to prevent and eliminate problem areas in a planned, structured and timely fashion ensuring these processes are executed to bring the desired positive outcomes.

The Inspectorate Division is guided by the principles of compatibility, coordination, feedback, follow-up, integrity, objectivity, purpose and transparency.
independence, Health Matters - for a healthy community 7 MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE Secretary of Health and Child Care Air Commodore Dr Jasper Chimedza As was shown in the organogram in issue 39 of Health Matters, the newly structured Ministry of Health is now made up of nine divisions that are headed by chief directors including the eight specialised departments.
The divisions are as follows: · research biomedical engineering, · biomedical science, · biopharmaceutical engineering and production, · general health services inspectorate, · logistics and assets management, · personnel and external relations, · human resource management, · health professional council and regulations, · finance and corporate services, · Public health policies corporate and strategy, · curative services.

STAFF NEWS Q2.
2022 Appointments Mitchel Nyamukapa Traditional Medicine - - Officer May 1 Casper Chivambe Nyatapa - EPI Officer - June 1 Dr Nyadundu - CD HR & Administration - June 1 Chengaose Mutize - Executive Assistant Procurement Dept - April 1 Transfers Caroline Maswera - Midlands to H/Quarters Admin Officer - June 1 Resignation Dadirai Manuwa - Accountant - May 16 Termination T Ms Tsitsi Maregese - erminated - April 30 Retirements Mr Thomas Nyahodza - Retired - June 6 Death Ms Petunia Deda passed on - April 17 HEALTH SYSTEMS SUSTAINABLE PREPAREDNESS FOR HEALTH SECURITY AND RESILIENCE S Adopting A Whole-of- ociety Approach And Breaking The “panic-then-forget” Cycle The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vulnerability of countries and communities to the risks and impacts of health emergencies and disasters.
The pandemic has demonstrated that many health threats require actions outside the ability of any single country or organization to address by themselves.

An effective response depends on local, multi-sectoral preparedness and response capacities as well as the coordinated ability of the international community to act.

Unfortunately, past crises have also shown that attention and funding for emergency preparedness and response capacities tend to drop off once the acute response phase is over.
The world needs to break this “panic-then-forget” cycle.

Zimbabwe, like many other nations suffers from the same disease and once it deals with one emergency, the measures used in overcoming that emergency are left archived in strategy documents.

This is a normal response as the need to move from a position of pressure and stress to that which is normal leads to complacency and neglect of emergency response preparedness.
The need to maintain an ever-ready emergency response centre and systems is a must for all countries and for Zimbabwe this is still a work in progress.

From cholera epidemics, cyclones and droughts, Zimbabwe has been improving systems and measures to deal with pending disasters through the Civil Protection Unit which coordinates a sector-wide network with players from various ministries, NGO and international partners.
COVID-19 is not the world’s last health emergency and there is an urgent need for sustainable health emergency preparedness to deal with the next one.

National Disaster Risk Management Centre Under Construction at Makombe Building In the last edition of Health Matters (2020), we shared a brief on what the nation was doing to help manage crises.

It was a time when COVID-19 was in its inception and a lot was put in place to ensure the nation was safe.
Thanks to all the work carried out, the nation faired very well and we are here to tell of our success.

It is not often that successes are acknowledged but our COVID-19 success has gained international recognition and we are keeping the momentum going.

In an interview with Mr Nkomo, Director of the Civil Protection Unit who heads the country's Emergency and Disaster Management unit, an update on the way forward is given here.
The CPU is operates under the Ministry of Local government and thus local authorities and Traditional Leaders play a critical role in times of crises.

The nation is planning on a preparedness action strategy that is inclusive and forward looking.

It seeks to include all ministries, local authorities, Traditional Leaders and various stakeholders thus ensuring contributions and ideas are all captured in one forum for national implementation.
This was the strong sentiment shared by participants of the United Nations General Assembly side-event on ‘Sustainable preparedness for health security and resilience: Adopting a whole-of-society approach and breaking the “panic-then- forget” cycle’.

The high-level virtual event was co-hosted by Finland, France and Indonesia, along with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Past crises have shown that once an outbreak is under control, governments and donors tend to turn their attention to other pressing concerns.

This cycle of “panic-then-forget” has prevented the development of effective health emergency preparedness across the globe.

The world needs to break this cycle once and for all.

Zimbabwe is one nation that is on track to maintaining its health emergency preparedness.
The country through its Civil Protection Unit is constantly monitoring, evaluating and upscaling it’s preparedness with each emergency being dealt within the best possible way.

The country’s success in managing the COVID-19 crisis bears testimony of the effectiveness of the systems put in place by the government of the day, notably the 2nd republic.
The world crossed a grim milestone with millions of lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, and more expected to have died from unprecedented disruptions to the health systems.

“Over the years we have had many reports, reviews and recommendations all saying the same thing: the world is not The nation has in place a Public Health Emergency Command Centre housed at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals which was the control point for the COVID-19 response.
While this centre will remain open, cabinet proposed a National Risk Management centre which is now under construction at the Makombe Complex with support from Higherlife Foundation.

The centre will interface with all other emergency operation centres and will act as a hub drawing inputs from early warning units that include ministry of health and ministry of environment to name a few.
A standing cabinet committee on Environment Disaster Prevention and Management with members drawn from all 17 ministries is in place and is leading the planning of the nation's 10 year roadmap to make the National Risk Management Centre a One Stop Shop for all crises.

The CPU and the MOHCC have always been working together on public health incidences as indicated by the continued work on the Elimination of Cholera.
Artist impression of National Risk Management Centre under construction at Maombe building complex Health Matters - for a healthy community 8 Adopting A Whole-of-society Approach And Breaking The “panic-then-forget” Cycle HEALTH SYSTEMS prepared for a pandemic.
COVID-19 has laid bare the truth: when the time came, the world was still not ready,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, in his opening address at WHA 75, last year the Director-General Through the WHO, in preparedness, with an all-of-government and all-of-society approach.
He warned gathering COVID-19 would not be the last pandemic, nor the last global health emergency and advised that with the right political and financial investments, we can advance health security, prevent and mitigate future pandemics, and protect our future and the future of generations to come.

called for investments Countries spoke of their commitment to health emergency preparedness.
“We know that preparedness makes economic sense, and we have developed tools and models for multi-sectoral cooperation.

Learning from the pandemic and building on the previous progress should guide our steps to strengthen Health Security and thus help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Päivi Sillanaukee, Ambassador for Health and Wellbeing, Republic of Finland.
“There is an urgent need to leverage the response to COVID-19 to build, maintain and strengthen sustainable public health capacities for emergency preparedness.

France firmly believes that preparedness deserves to be placed much higher on the foreign policy agenda and we are willing to foster cooperation among Member States to ensure the continued visibility of this topic, whether here in Geneva or at the UNGA in New York,” said Stéphanie Seydoux, Ambassador for Global Health, French Republic.
Health emergency preparedness is part of the larger vision of health for all.

In her speech, Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Retno L.P. Marsudi, reminded participants that “the investment we must make at the national level now is ensuring affordable health care for all.

Let us ask ourselves, how many times have we heard of people denying themselves of much needed medical health care due to costs....
The issue of affordable health care for all is at the heart of Indonesia’s chairmanship of the Foreign Policy and Global Health initiative.” Also sharing their countries’ experience with COVID-19 were the Ministers of Health of the Netherlands, Oman, Senegal and Singapore.

Speaking to this issue as well were the Coordinator of the Group of African Ambassadors in Geneva, and Germany’s Deputy Director-General, Federal Foreign Office.

The discussion was led by Ambassador Hasan Kleib of Indonesia in Geneva.
Stressing the role of community empowerment was the President of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Mr Francesco Rocca.
He said his organization had learned from working with its network of responders in 192 countries that there is an urgent need to invest in preparedness at the community level, to “promote humanitarian action to be as local as possible, as global as necessary […] We call on governments, partners and donors to invest in preparedness at the community level to save lives and alleviate suffering in the next inevitable emergency.” The role of parliaments and the importance of a multisectoral approach was highlighted by the Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Mr Martin Chungong.
The International Association of National Public Health Institutes, and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Development and Cooperation emphasized the important role played by partner organizations in country and global preparedness and financing.

Mr Sami Kanaan, the Mayor of Geneva, stressed an all-of-society approach.

“Local governments must not only be provided with the means to implement policies.
They also need to be included in the international debates that eventually shape solutions to the humanity’s most pressing challenges,” he said.

Closing the event, Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, appreciated the participants’ remarks, and asked for them to be met with sustained commitment to preparedness.

“We cannot, cannot, cannot let the world forget because the next one may not be anything but the worst one,” he said.
“This (COVID-19) may just be a harbinger of what may come, we are living with too much risk.” WHO RECOMMENDATIONS To break the “panic-then-forget” cycle: We need to speak really honestly, we need to speak very directly, we need to speak very passionately about this issue because I guarantee you, the world will forget.

We have serial amnesia on issues like this and we cannot, cannot, cannot let the world forget because the next one may not be anything but the worst one.
This may just be a harbinger of what may come.

We are living with too much risk; we are not prepared as we are yet to make the investments.

And I mean investments - not spend money, not see this as a cost – but an investment in our future, and in our children's future.

… We have that technology, we have the means, we have the science.

The gap is not science and the gap is not the means.

The gap for me is the will.

And the gap for me is the sustained commitment to make this happen.
– Dr Mike Ryan, WHO The time to act is now: Countries must incorporate experiences and lessons from COVID-19 and sustain advances and investments made during the response for longer-term preparedness.

This includes building strong health systems for health security.

We all have a part to play: Countries must extend the whole-of-society approach, to health adopted during the COVID-19 response, emergency preparedness.
This includes leadership, coordination across levels of governance, strengthening multisectoral preparedness coordination and community engagement.

The world is only as strong as our weakest linK: Countries must promote equity and pay attention to the needs of vulnerable populations.

Through multilateral networks and collaborations, countries, donors and partners must also support each other in the financing and sharing of technical expertise for preparedness capacity-building.
Dialogue must continue: Countries, donors and partners must continue to advocate for keeping health emergency preparedness high on national and global political agendas.

This includes WHO’s convening role and ongoing support to countries.

Sustainable preparedness for health security and resilience: adopting a whole-of-society approach and breaking the “panic-then-forget\" cycle.

Side event – 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, October.

Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020.


Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO 8 Health Matters - for a healthy community 9 PRIMARY HEALTH CARE NEWS COVID-19 VACCINATION BLITZ MARCH TO MAY 2022 schools, markets, churches and other community points.

Static health centres also provided vaccination services but had low turnout of people compared to mobile teams covering schools.
Other effective strategies included integrating COVID-19 into ongoing programmes like routine childhood immunization and nutrition programming.

Where necessary special arrangements for vaccination were agreed with target communities particularly in hard to reach areas.

Achievements The vaccination blitz was successful in reaching out mostly to the youths between 12 and 15 years with their first dose of COVID-19.

A significant chunk of people who had missed their second and third doses were also reached.
The addition of the 12 to 15 year old children to the eligible group increased the denominator for coverage which resulted in national coverage taking a dip before starting to ascend again Key enablers The success of the vaccination blitz hinged on the high level of political commitment and support which has always been there since the launch of the programme.

For both rounds of vaccination the government was the main funder with support from partners at national and subnational levels.
levels throughout the exercise and no Vaccines were adequate at all shortage was reported.

Multi-stakeholder involvement, partnerships and collaborations assisted in resource mobilization and planning and good coordination during implementation.

Challenges There was initially a low uptake of vaccination particularly in the first round fueled by lack of adequate information on the safety and benefits of vaccination particularly among the newly eligible 12- to 15-year-old age- group.
The situation changed as community mobilization efforts were intensified through all channels to promote uptake of vaccination services Despite the efforts to promote uptake pockets of vaccine hesitancy were encountered particulary among the elderly who themselves had not been vaccinated and those who belong to religions that are known to object to vaccination The second round was meant to cover the second dose for children and adults who received their first doses during the first round in March and ore school children who were hesitant during the March round April opted in for first doses.
This resulted in a need to plan for reaching out to this new group with second doses.

.

M Zimbabwe launched a successful COVID-19 vaccination programme in March 2021 as a key strategy to control the COVID-19 pandemic.

The programme which is still ongoing was rolled out in phases initially prioritizing frontline workers, the elderly and those with chronic conditions.
It has now been extended to cover the general population including children from 3 years of age and above following the procurement of sufficient vaccines by the government to protect all eligible people.

Since its launch the programme has run successfully and continues to do so as the younger age categories become eligible for vaccination.
In line with government's objective of reaching herd immunity against COVID-19 the Ministry of Health and Child care is frequently conducting COVID-19 vaccination intensification campaigns covering all parts of the country through mobile and static vaccination teams.

The intensive campaigns are punctuated by planning breaks during which vaccination is provided at static public and privately owned centres.
During the period from March to April 2022 the Ministry conducted one such vaccination intensification blitz.

The blitz was unique in that children between 12 and 15 years had just been deemed eligible for vaccination with available vaccines by vaccination specialists.

This meant in addition to community vaccination, the vaccination teams had to focus on school-based vaccination.
that s and p Preparation for the campaign A series of planning meetings was held bringing together national, provincial and district team for effective planning.

Planning meetings reparations for the campaign were marked by intensive microplanning processes at grassroots level during which all health centers mapped out those who were due for either dose one or dose two.
This included collecting data on enrollment of 12 to 15 year old learners in all primary and secondary level and determining the ideal vaccination modalities.

The health center micro plans which were consolidated into district, provincial and national plans determined the resources that were to be allocated to reach out to the targeted population groups.

s T with Advocacy and communication activities were intensified as part of preparations for this campaign.
he blitz which was conducted in two rounds was launched by way of a press statement which was delivered by the Hon VP and Minister of Health and Child Care who encouraged all parents eligible children to get vaccinated for their own health and to protect their loved ones.

The launch supported other mobilization activities which were being conducted at both national and subnational levels.
These included mass media advertisement and programmes in different languages, distribution of posters, flyers and pamphlets, key stakeholder meetings at provincial and district levels, public announcements using loud hailers, interpersonal communication through health promotion, environmental health and community-based health personnel.
Education authorities and school health coordinators played a pivotal role in mobilizing and preparing learners for vaccination prior to the arrival of vaccination teams Implementation The first round of vaccination ran from 21 March to 3 April while the second on ran from 2 May to 15 May 2022.
Vaccination was delivered mainly through mobile and outreach team visiting all COVID-19 National vaccination coverage 12-15years Health Matters - for a healthy community 10 POLIO OUTBREAK - AFRICAN HEALTH MINISTERS SEEK WAYS TO BOLSTER POLIO OUTBREAK RESPONSE WHA PRIMARY HEALTH CARE NEWS “Every effort is being made to vaccinate every eligible child.
This is a dangerous disease with no cure, but full vaccination can prevent paralysis” Dr Modjirom Ndoutabe, Polio Programme Coordinator at World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa.

The detection of wild poliovirus in Malawi and Mozambique does not affect Africa's wild poliovirus-free certification because the virus strain is not indigenous.

Africa was declared free of indigenous wild polio in August 2020 after eliminating all forms of wild polio from the region.
Wild poliovirus transmission remains at an all-time low, with only six cases reported globally in 2021.

Importation of any case must be treated as a serious concern and high-quality response efforts to reach every child with polio vaccine are critical to prevent further spread.

Wild poliovirus type 1 is currently endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The poliovirus is highly infectious and largely affects children younger than five years.
The disease has no cure, can cause lifelong paralysis, and can be prevented only by immunization.

Zimbabwe is scheduled to carry out its vaccination campaign as of August 2022.

This is a few months after other regional partners have already vaccinated large numbers of their children under five years of age.

Mozambique kicked off the third round of vaccination against wild poliovirus on July 7, while Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia enter the third phase of mass vaccination campaigns in the coming weeks.
Around 36 million vaccine doses have been administered by the four countries in the first two rounds.

Zimbabwe joins the vaccination campaign for the third and fourth rounds and will conduct two more rounds before year end to ensure full vaccination coverage.

be launched by the Ministry of A public awareness campaign will Health and Child Care supported by its partners to alert the public of the outbreak, describe the planned response and provide information about polio and the vaccine.
WHO and partners, including UNICEF, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, GAVI, the vaccine alliance, and Rotary, are working to expand two types of key surveillance to detect potential future polio outbreaks in this region: Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance and environmental surveillance.
AFP surveillance aims to detect the physical symptoms of polio, including paralysis and mobility issues, while environmental surveillance seeks to find samples of wastewater containing traces of polio.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus.

It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis within hours, particularly among children under five.
The virus is transmitted from person to person mainly through faecal matter or, less frequently, through contaminated water or food, and multiplies in the intestine.

While there is no cure for polio, the disease can be prevented through administration of a safe, simple and effective vaccine.
African health ministers gathered to seek ways of ramping up measures to halt the outbreak of Wild Poliovirus Type 1 in southern Africa, where the virus has been detected in two countries and a large-scale multi-country vaccination campaign is underway.
The ministers from Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe met on the side-lines of the 22—28 May World Health Assembly in Geneva with World Health Organization (WHO) officials, representatives from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rotary International and UNICEF.

They discussed the wild polio outbreaks as well as the ongoing efforts to end vaccine-derived poliovirus in Africa.
Following the wild poliovirus outbreak in Malawi in February, health workers have so far administered more than 23 million doses of vaccines to children under 5 in the five southern Africa countries.

On 18 May, Mozambique also confirmed a case of wild poliovirus.
The two cases are linked to a wild poliovirus strain that had been circulating in Pakistan in 2019. WHO and partner organizations are supporting the five southern Africa countries coordinate and carry out rapid and high-quality vaccination campaigns, which are essential in defeating the virus.

In addition to the vaccination drives, the five countries have also bolstered disease surveillance to detect and effectively respond to the virus.
“Until the world has halted transmission of all forms of polio, all countries remain vulnerable to outbreaks,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

“Every child must be reached.


This requires strong planning, strong implementation, strong monitoring.” Dr Moeti also acknowledged that there were competing health priorities, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and appreciated the high-level political commitment by the countries responding to wild poliovirus in the region.
Health Matters - for a healthy community 11 MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE April 2022 - June 2022 Report on Rapid Disease Notification System COMPLETENESS AND TIMELINESS Average national completeness 97% and timeliness 92%.

CHOLERA No suspected cholera cases were reported this quarter.

The cumulative figure for cholera is 1.

DYSENTERY Two thousand Seven Hundred and fifty-four (2 754) cases and Five (5) deaths (CFR 0.20 %) were reported this quarter.
The cumulative figures for dysentery is 6 808 and 0 deaths.
The provinces which reported the highest number of dysentery cases are Mashonaland Central (637) followed by Manicaland (605) as illustrated by the following table PROVINCE/CNTR HOSP Manicaland Province Mashonaland Central Province Mashonaland East Province Midlands Province Matabeleland North Province Matabeleland South Province Masvingo Province Mashonaland West Province Harare Province Bulawayo Province Chitungwiza City Mpilo Central Hospitals Sally Mugabe Central Hospital CASES DEATHS 605 637 350 185 152 38 361 338 79 4 0 3 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 MALARIA Seventy-two thousand eight hundred and seventy-five (72 875) and sixty-two (62) deaths (CFR 0.1%) were reported this quarter.
The cumulative figures for malaria reported are 72 913 and 104 deaths.

The provinces which reported the highest number of malaria cases are Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East as illustrated by the following table: DOG BITES Five thousand and six hundred and fifty-five (5 527) and two (2) deaths were reported this quarter.

The cumulative figures for dog bite are 11 997 and 5 deaths.
PROVINCE/CNTR HOSP CASES DEATHS Manicaland Province Mashonaland Central Province Mashonaland East Province Midlands Province Matabeleland North Province Matabeleland South Province Masvingo Province Mashonaland West Province Harare Province Bulawayo Province Chitungwiza City United Bulawayo Hospitals Sally Mugabe Central Hospital MPILO Hospital 820 568 807 688 197 262 948 633 343 80 38 27 89 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 RABIES 2 Rabies cases and 2 deaths were reported during this quarter.
The cumulative figure for rabies are 4 cases and 4 deaths.

SNAKE BITES Five hundred and sixty-one (557) and One (1) deaths were reported this quarter.

The cumulative figure for snake bites are 2 967 cases and 2 deaths.
PROVINCE/CNTR HOSP Manicaland Province Mashonaland Central Province Mashonaland East Province Midlands Province Matabeleland North Province Matabeleland South Province Masvingo Province Mashonaland West Province Harare Province Bulawayo Province Chitungwiza City United Bulawayo Hospitals Sally Mugabe Central Hospital Chitungwiza Central Hospital CASES DEATHS PROVINCE/CNTR HOSP CASES DEATHS 5865 22404 16570 284 2659 120 1232 2550 70 35 6 17 41 10 3 20 7 1 3 0 10 13 0 0 0 2 0 0 12 Manicaland Province Mashonaland Central Province Mashonaland East Province Midlands Province Matabeleland North Province Matabeleland South Province Masvingo Province Mashonaland West Province Harare Province Bulawayo Province Chitungwiza City United Bulawayo Hospitals Sally Mugabe Central Hospital MPILO Hospital 73 110 92 53 24 28 51 97 2 2 3 9 11 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Health Matters - for a healthy community Report on Rapid Disease Notification System MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE April 2022 - June 2022 TYPHOID One (1) typhoid cases and no deaths were reported during the period under review.
The cumulative figure for typhoid is 49 cases and 0 deaths.

MATERNAL DEATHS Eighty-Six (86) maternal deaths reported this quarter through the (WDSS).

The cumulative figure for maternal deaths are 187.

INFLUENZA One Hundred and twenty-Seven thousand six hundred and eight cases (127 608) and one death were reported this quarter.

The cumulative figure for influenza are 185 551 and 1 death.
PROVINCE/CNTR HOSP Manicaland Province Mashonaland Central Province Mashonaland East Province CASES DEATHS Midlands Province CASES DEATHS 8 7 5 9 2 3 11 6 0 0 3 2 9 11 10 Matabeleland North Province Matabeleland South Province Masvingo Province Mashonaland West Province Harare Province Bulawayo Province Mpilo Central Hospital United Bulawayo Hospital Chitungwiza Cemtral Hospital Sally Mugabe Central Hospital Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals AFP/Poliomyelitis One (1) case of AFP were reported this quarter through the (WDSS) and no deaths.
The cumulative cases for AFP are 26.

ANTHRAX Thirteen (13) suspected cases and no deaths for anthrax reported this quarter.

The cumulative figures for anthrax are 64 cases and 0 death.

PROVINCE/CNTR HOSP Midlands Province Masvingo Province CASES DEATHS 12 1 0 0 PLAGUE No suspected cases of plague were reported during the period under review.

NNT No cases of NNT were reported during this quarter under review.
MENINGOCOCCAL MENINGITIS No meningococcal meningis reported in this quarter PROVINCE/CNTR HOSP Manicaland Province Mashonaland Central Province Mashonaland East Province Midlands Province Matabeleland North Province Matabeleland South Province Masvingo Province 32523 33313 37161 56 0 24 55 Mashonaland West Province 22238 Harare Province Bulawayo Province Chitungwiza Central Hospital United Bulawayo Hospitals Sally Mugabe Central Hospital MPILO Hospital 111 0 381 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 PANDEMIC INFLUENZA A (H1N1) No new cases of Pandemic Influenza (H1N1) were reported this quarter.
MEASLES Six hundred and Twenty-Six (626) suspected cases of Measles were reported this quarter through the (WDSS).

The cumulative figure for measles are 707.
PROVINCE/CNTR HOSP Manicaland Province Mashonaland Central Province Mashonaland East Province Midlands Province Matabeleland North Province Matabeleland South Province Masvingo Province Mashonaland West Province Harare Province Bulawayo Province CASES DEATHS 454 53 51 17 12 0 2 22 15 0 Health Matters - for a healthy community 13 SPECIFIC DISEASES AND POPULATIONS STRENGTHENING THE CHOLERA SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM IN ZIMBABWE LABORATORY CAPACITY BUILDING The launch of the Zimbabwe Multi-Sectoral Cholera Elimination Plan 2018-2028, in the year 2020 paved way for the activation of the thematic pillars for cholera elimination activities in hotspots.
The five (5) thematic pillars for the national cholera elimination plan entail, Community Engagement and Advocacy, WASH, WASH Infrastructure, Innovative Financing and Resource Mobilisation and Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response.

The Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response pillar targets to improve surveillance for timely detection and confirmation of cholera to quickly respond to cholera outbreaks.

(Zimbabwe-Multi-Sectoral Cholera Elimination Plan 2018-2028: 2020).
To attain this target, the strategic objective of this pillar is to improve epidemiological and laboratory capacities to rapidly detect and confirm cholera (Rapid Diagnostic Tests and Culture capacity) and assessment of antibiotic susceptibility of the bacteria and tracking strains.
During the period of April 2022 to June 2022 the Cholera Elimination Secretariat, with support from the National Taskforce on Cholera Elimination in Zimbabwe, interventions of strengthening laboratory surveillance in the tier one (1) cholera hotspots.

The Cholera Elimination Secretariat engaged the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory (NMRL) to assess the gaps in laboratory surveillance systems in Zimbabwe.
facilitated the initial NMRL led by Dr. Raiva Simbi the Director of laboratory services Ministry of Health and Child Care conducted Onsite Laboratory Capacity Assessment for Vibrio Cholerae (Cholera) detection.

An assessment tool was administered in the Tier 1 cholera hotspot laboratories in Mashonaland West – Chegutu District Hospital, Harare Province- Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital, Manicaland-Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital from 31 March 2022 to 04 April 2022.
Higherlife Foundation provided catalytic funding for the assessment process in the three provinces.

The key components of the assessment tool focused on the availability of laboratory equipment, media and consumables, laboratory infrastructure, antibiotics discs, anti-sera and rapid tests kits, testing facility, purchasing and inventory and the quality management system.

These components define the functionality and efficiency of laboratories for surveillance in detecting Vibrio Cholerae in Zimbabwe.
Consumables Cholera O1 Antigen Test Cassette, Sodium Hypochloride, Disposable scintillation vials and Xylose-Lysine Deoxycholate Agar (XLD Agar) Health Matters - for a healthy community 14 The findings from the assessments conducted indicated the deficiency of laboratory equipment, reagents, tests kits and laboratory staff capacity building.
Higherlife Foundation supported the laboratories by purchasing apparatus and laboratory equipment that included: TCBS 500g, Alkaline peptone water 500ml, Sodium Deoxycolate 100ml, XLD 500g, DCA 500g, Petri dishes box of 500, Polyvalent typing antisera (Ogawa), Polyvalent typing antisera (Inaba), Oxidase strips kit for cholera Box of 50, Cholera Rapid Test kits b/25, Sharps containers, Hypochloride 10 litres, Absolute Alcohol 5 litres, Bio-hazard Yellow/Red bin liners 31 packs, Incubation jugs, Laboratory digital s ca l e , Wate r d i st i l l e r, 5 0 0 m l autoclavable media bottles, Universal bottles, 10ml Bijou bottles.
In July 2022 the distribution process of the purchased equipment to NMRL, Chegutu, Beatrices Road Infectious Diseases hospitals will be complete.

To enhance laboratory staff capacity in the rapid detection of Cholera, with the guidance from NMRL and catalytic administrative funding support from Higherlife Foundation, laboratory capacity building workshops were conducted at Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital Lab and at the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre with labs at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
Five (5) day training sessions were conducted to capacitate the laboratory staff.

The five (5) days training session included topics on epidemiology and cholera elimination plan, media preparation and quality control and intense practical sessions on media preparation, role of laboratory in outbreak investigation, laboratory isolation and detection of enteric pathogens, culturing of samples, WHO Cholera reporting tool and rapid testing of cholera among other training topics conducted.
From the 6th to the 10th of June 20 participants from Manicaland province- Mutare and Murambinda, M a sv i n go P rov i n c e - C h i re d z i , Laboratory Capacity Building HEALTH STAFF LOST TO COVID SPECIFIC DISEASES AND POPULATIONS Mashonaland Central-Bindura, Mashonaland East- Chivhu and Marondera converged at Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital for the inaugural laboratory capacity building training.
The trainees consisted of laboratory technicians, microbiologist, medical laboratory scientists, provincial scientists and microscopists.

The facilitators and trainers of the sessions were the provincial laboratory representatives.

The remarkable and notable drive of the Cholera Elimination Secretariat on the facilitation of the laboratory assessment for the rapid detection of Cholera enhances the efficiency of laboratories as recommended by the 10-year Cholera Elimination roadmap.
However, it is to be noted that challenges are still imminent in laboratory surveillance in Zimbabwe.

Although laboratory equipment placements and staff trainings were conducted, the supplied equipment is insufficient and consumables are required regularly.

Additionally, other health workers who are key in cholera prevention and detection such as nurses require sensitization on specimens as guided by the laboratories and the vitality of stool collection.
The efficiency and functionality of laboratory surveillance is critical in cholera elimination on Zimbabwe.

S D ZIMBABWE REPATRIATE CYCLONE IDAI VICTIM'S REMAINS Department of Civil Protection irector Nathan Nkomo confirmed the nations readiness to deploy a team of pathologists to Mozambique to lead the exhumation and repatriation of more than 157 Zimbabweans swept away by Cyclone Idai floods in 2019.
"Only two months ago we had that Bi- National Commission with Mozambique and finally two weeks ago we were granted the permission to go to Sussundenga and start exhuming our 157 people who are still in Mozambique,” Nkomo said.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care will lead the team after assigning pathologists to carry out the work.

The Civil Protection Unit and Ministry will be assisted by members from the Defence, the rmy and Air force.
A Zimbabwe was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years and the effects are still affecting the nation .

The health sector which had to shoulder most of the weight was hit hardest as it had to deal with patients, health workers and the whole system's facilities including hospital infrastructure and equipment.

The rest of the world was not spared as millions of lives were lost especially in the developed world.
nd The loss of lives in the developed world was devastating a the pandemic took lives of the rich, famous, poor, elderly, black, did not discriminate a white and unfortunately those in the frontline.

Frontline workers including doctors, nursing staff and all workers within the hospitals, clinics, make shift added to health centres and mobile units the numbers that died due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
s As the pandemic is now under control, world systems which favor those who own or control resources, there is another hemorrhaging of resources from lesser developed countries.

This is especially true as regards human resources.

Developed countries have been rebuilding and re-capacitating their health systems to ensure quality healthcare for their populations.
This has opened opportunities for health workers world-wide to move to are greener pastures as developed countries better working packages to qualified and unqualified individuals.

offer ing Zimbabwean health workers and many individuals are part of the group that has been and is being lured to developed nations including the United Kingdom, Canada, United States and other European countries.
This is bleeding the nation of its life-blood which is made up of health professionals, health workers and auxiliary nursing staff.

Zimbabwe lost 2246 health care professionals in 2021 and this was after losing 993 the previous year.

These figures are of recorded personnel and do not include individuals who left with minimal qualifications and those with no health training at all.

The year 2022 is witnessing much of the same as health workers are leaving in significant numbers for greener pastures.
Speaking at the 2021 Health Service Board (HSB) strategic planning review in Victoria Falls, executive chairman Dr Paulinus Sikosana confirmed the challenges faced by the sector as staff attrition from service by doctors, pharmacists and nurses was high.

The worldwide recruitment of staff for health institutions abroad ha moved two gears up.

d “By June 2021, the health service had lost more than twice the number of nurses that left the service in the whole of 2020,” he said.
The current exodus of health staff is going to have a devastating impact on the already fragile health service.

Zimbabwe is currently faced with an economic meltdown due to currency instability and rising inflation.

This is a disastrous situation as health staff find themselves unable to feed their families and cannot afford to travel to work daily.

Opportunities to leave the health service abound as offers from abroad and neighboring countries are numerous.
from The health sector is faced with the mammoth task of keeping institutions running, getting staff to stay in-post and improve an ailing system.

Government has to take up this challenge regardless of all the pressures from external and internal forces.

Steps have been taken to improve remuneration for health service employees with non-monetary incentives having been tabled.

Resolving the health sector crisis will take time but it is achievable.
Health Matters - for a healthy community 15 DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH A Growing Public Health Threat DRUG AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN ZIMBABWE and mingle with entertainers at various after-parties, social functions and odd venues where a cocktail of drugs is usually part of the menu.

An unfortunate trend in smoking has been observed in Zimbabwe as young women have taken to smoking in public.
A woman smoking has always been perceived as unAfrican and is generally not It is the traditional old women in the Tonga and Binga villages who have been known to indulge in smoking marijuana.

The media has noted an increase in the smoking of snuff, with suppliers in Mbare and on the streets of Harare reporting brisk business.

f Zimbabwean women.

expected o it ‘ ’ Drug and substance abuse in Zimbabwe is associated with the youth and street dwellers as potrayed in the media and communities.
There are however abusers in certain categories that seem to escape the eye of the camera but are also affected by the substance abuse menace.

There are a number of ways a person can take drugs, which include injection, inhalation and ingestion.

The effects of the drug on the body depends on how the drug is delivered.

For example, the injection of drugs directly into the bloodstream has an immediate impact, while ingestion has a delayed effect.
But all misused drugs affect the brain causing large amounts of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate our emotions, motivation and feelings of pleasure, to flood the brain and produce a “high” a very popular saying for a lot of ghetto youths.

Eventually, drugs change how the brain works and interfere with a person's ability to make choices, leading to intense cravings and compulsive drug use.

Over time, this behavior can turn into a substance dependency, or drug addiction.
Zimbabwe is part of the many countries in the world that is witnessing an upsurge in drug abuse.

As of 2020, approximately 57% of the population are said to be involved in drug and substance abuse.

Drugs like Broncheer syrup (with codeine phosphate) is known to cause a comatose condition known as kuStika, where the abuser is literally stuck in a coma for two to three hours as the drugs take unusually long to wear off.
Addiction in the music and arts sector is common and has resulted in a number of promising stars developing substance disorders.

There are a number of stars who have allegedly been observed while intoxicated (names withheld for ethical reasons and also not to attach stigma on their personalities).

This sector includes socialites who mix Other substances which are commonly abused are skin lighteners and body enhancers.
These are also being widely abused as women seek to enhance their beauty and appeal to men.

Zimbabwe's non-stringent importation rules, illegal smuggling and limited capacity to stop the trade in these products has resulted in thousands of the products being sold openly without fear at flea markets, corner stores and even some supermarkets.
The health risks posed by the products are well-known, but women abusing these substances worry about the immediate cosmetic effect with little concern of the long term repercussions and ignore the threat of skin diseases, cancers and other future risk for immediate glorification.

s leading to All the above unfortunately result in one or more health complications death.
The serious adverse effects drug and substance abuse is having on both individual and societal well-being, as well as burdening the health system have been noted.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care is the last port of call for abusers who have developed drug use disorder.

The ministry has the mandate to care for these patients through the provision of primary, secondary, tertiary preventative and treatment interventions.
A lot of work is involved in the care of patients of drug and substance abuse and the Ministry of Health and Child Care is an integral member of the Inter-ministerial Taskforce on Drug abuse.

MOHCC Treatment, Rehabilitation and Harm Reduction Pillar and was proactive in enlisting the inputs and services of other ministries in order to arrest and manage this problem.

is the head of the The Inter- Ministerial Committee was set up in 2021 to tackle the drug abuse menace among the Youth in Zimbabwe.
It is made up of different ministries which were divided into five 1.

Supply reduction pillar, which comprises of Ministry of home affairs, Health Matters - for a healthy community 16 TOBACCO; THREAT TO OUR ENVIRONMENT DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH Ministry of youth sports and culture, Ministry of women affairs and Ministry of social welfare.

3.

Harm reduction pillar comprises of the Ministry of health and Ministry of justice.
4.Treatment and Rehabilitation pillar includes Ministry of health and Ministry of socicial welfare.

And lastly Community reintegration pillar comprises of Ministry of social welfare and the Ministry of health.

The various ministries were put in place to deal with drugs and ensure a reduction in drug abuse b the youths whose livelihoods are slowly being wiped away by this abuse pandemic.

The committee was established as a way of raising awareness on the effects of drug abuse.
y The Inter-Ministerial has been successful in; .

Hosting sensitization trainings and meetings for technical working groups of the Inter- Ministerial task force done in Mutare.

- .

Familiarization visits of mental health institutions in Harare which took place in March.

.

Managed to come up with the National Consolidated Work Plan for Inter- Ministerial activities task force.

.

Visiting of Border Post at .


Participated in Youth day commemorations on the 21st of February s Nkomo and Victoria Falls Airport .

J M 2022 at Robert Mugabe square running under the theme of h’ Alleviate Substance and Drug Abuse by the Yout ‘ c The ommemorations also saw the launch of the National Drug Abuse Fund to address the drug abuse problem.

that was set up The 31st of May 2021 marked World No Tobacco Day which ran under the theme Tobacco; “Threat to our environment”.
This theme sought to highlight the environmental impact of the tobacco cycle from cultivation, production and distribution to the toxic waste it generates.

It also encouraged Zimbabweans to reduce passive smoking.

What the Ministry of Health is doing Patients suffering from substance induced psychosis are sent to rehabilitation facilities where they go through detoxification.

Care is taken to ensure patients are not left vulnerable to relapsing.
Monthly, MOHCC partners with Pamumvuri to raise awareness on drug abuse during cleanup campaigns introduced by the President.

MOHCC is part of the Friendship bench initiative which it partnered in developing mental health interventions for young people between the ages of 15 and 24.

Efforts are also being made to tackle mental illness in universities through the Youth in mind initiative as well as in all tertiary care hospitals over time.
On the 13-18th of June 2022 a psychiatrist and occupational therapist traveled to Ghana and Kenya rehabilitation centers in order to learn what is being done in other countries concerning drug abuse.

The trip was organized by Inter-Ministerial task force as part of its mandate on the treatment and rehabilitation.

The MOHCC is planning a commemoration in partnership with WHO,MSU,UN information center and Midlands state university in Gweru for the Day against Drug Abuse and Trafficking.
The United Nations General Assembly observes 26 June as the International day against Drug abuse and illicit Trafficking as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation aimed at achieving societies free of drugs.

The main aim of the commemoration is to raise awareness among young people as they Mental ealth oards H B The Mental Health Act has provision for three types of boards with one being the Mental Health Hospital board.
The Mental Health Hospital Board's objective is centered on the welfare of patients admitted in mental health institutions.

The board represents the patients interests, reports to the Permanent Secretary and visits institutions to support the patients.

The Mental Health Act also has a provision for special boards.

In Zimbabwe there are 2 boards which are Chikurubi and Mlondolozi Special Boards.
The purpose of the Special boards is to assess and review mental health offenders and make recommendations to the Mental Health review tribunal.

The Mental Health Review Tribunal is made up of a judge or former Supreme Court judge, a registered legal practitioner and between 5 and 10 members.

The current Judge is Justice (Rtd) Maphios Cheda.


The Mental Health Tribunal sittings are specifically for mental health offenders and it is the final board sitting which makes the final decision to discharge patients.

Mental health review tribunal boards sit every quarter and managed to discharge a total of 280 patients in 2021.

Achievements from the Board sittings .

The Mental Health Hospital Board managed to visit all the .
mental health institutions last year and presented a report to the Permanent Secretary.

In view of the COVID 19 pandemic the special institutions by making sure that the special boards sit every quarter.

the back log which was there for several years by managed to de congest they - - - .

Catch up with .

discharging people who ha been waiting for many years.

d Improved the quality of life of the remaining inmates because there COVID wa 19 regulations.
s increase space and this compliant with was d - In case you have a son/daughter friend /relative who is into drugs.

Here is a list of those who provide counselling and rehabilitation services for patients battling drug addiction: 1.

Highlands Halfway Home +2638644210999 2.

Ruwa Rehabilitation Centre +263273790238 3.

Serenity Mind Centre +263716825245 4.

Mandipa Hope Rehabilitation +263776911153 5.

Tirivanhu Rehabilitation +263773593014 6.Mubatirapamwe Trust +263772379751 7.
Beatrice Rehabilitation Centre, Harare 8.

Tariro Rehabilitation Centre, Harare 9.

For Youths By Youths, Harare & Mash West +263775462468 +263773238941 *The following public psychiatric institutions also offer help in fight drug addiction:* 1.

Sally Mugabe Psychiatric Unit (Harare) 2.

Parirenyatwa Annex Psychiatric Unit (Harare) 3.

Ingutsheni Psychiatric Hospital (Bulawayo) 4.

Ngomahuru Hospital and Halfway House (Masvingo).


Health Matters - for a healthy community 17 WORKING TOGETHER OUR PLANET, OUR HEALTH Each year since 1950, the world commemorates World Health Day on 7 April, marking the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The commemorations seek to draw attention to a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world.
This year, the theme for World Health Day was “Our planet, Our health.” The theme served as a timely reminder of the inextricable link between the planet and our health, as the burden of noncommunicable and infectious diseases rises alongside growing incidence of climate-related challenges.

More than 13 million annual deaths globally are due to avoidable environmental causes, including the climate crisis.
Zimbabwe has not been spared from the devastating impacts of climate change with heavy rainfalls, characterized by floods and cyclones as well as droughts.

Zimbabwe experienced the Cyclone Idai in 2019 which affected more than 270 000 people leaving over 341 people having lost their lives and destroying infrastructure which included health facilities.
The recent Cyclone Anna and extreme rainfall has caused drowning, injuries, heart attacks, trauma and infectious diseases signaling an urgent need for all stakeholders to start conversations around climate change.

Moreover, as a result of polluted water and sanitation more than 4,287 people died in Zimbabwe during the 2008–2009 cholera epidemic.
With direct consequences for the key determinants of health, climate change is negatively impacting air and water quality, food security, and human habitat and shelter.

The knock - on effect for the burden of heart and lung disease, stroke and cancer, among others, is evident from statistics that point to NCDs representing a growing proportion of Zimbabwe's disease burden.
Meanwhile, a heating world is seeing mosquitos spread diseases further and faster than ever before, with serious consequences for Zimbabwe.

Malaria accounts for about 40% of outpatient attendances in the moderate to high transmission districts, especially during the peak transmission period while half the population in Zimbabwe is at risk of malaria.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) joined the rest of the world to commemorate World Health Day through a high hybrid symposium with key stakeholders in order to raise awareness on what individuals, health workers, schools, corporates and civil societies can do to mitigate the impact of climate change.

In addition, the symposium aimed to promote dialogue around climate change in Zimbabwe.
the government, Objectives The main objective of the World Health Day symposium was to raise awareness and influence policy makers on implementing decisions that reverse climate change.

Specific objectives were to; WHO Zimbabwe Health Promotion and Social Determinants Specialist (Dr) Kanyowa's remarks focused on explaining this year's theme, Our Planet, Our Health, what it means and how relevant it is in this period where the effects of climate change are being felt everywhere.
He noted how Zimbabwe has not been spared from the devastating impacts of climate change with heavy rainfalls, characterized by floods and cyclones as well as droughts.

These devastating impacts include the 2019 Cyclone Idai which affected more than 270 000 people, leaving over 341 people having lost their lives and infrastructure which include clinics, destroyed.
The remarks also pointed out that as a result of polluted water and sanitation, more than 4,287 people died in Zimbabwe during the 2008–2009 cholera epidemic.

Dr Tajudeen Oyewale UNICEF Zimbabwe Representative UNICEF Zimbabwe Representative (Dr) Oyewale noted how Climate Action is everyone's responsibility.

He noted how we all share equal responsibility to protect and maintain the health of our planet for ourselves and future generations.
He highlighted how between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress.

He emphasized on how children are the most vulnerable to diseases that become more widespread because of climate change.
He also highlighted how UNICEF is working with government and development partners, to provide climate-resilient health services through the solarization of health care facilities; and improving access to safe drinking water, by promoting low-carbon and nature-based solutions for improving water quality and reducing water-borne diseases.
- raise awareness on climate change and its impact on health of the populations - inform the public (health workers, governments, industrialists, individuals, and politicians) on the actions they can take in their day-to-day life and work to reduce climate change The Initial trio of ambulances donated to the MoHCC by Redan Coupon Pvt Ltd lobby for political leaders to enforce social and commercial decisions which help reduce the climate and health crisis.
- Health Matters - for a healthy community 18 UNFPA Deputy Country Representative (Dr) Gulnara Kadyrkulova OUR PLANET, OUR HEALTH UNFPA Deputy Country Representative (Dr) Gulnara Kadyrkulova noted the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and climate change that are affecting our development pathway.

The health sector is one of the hardest hit as reflected in deteriorating indicators for communicable and non-communicable conditions, notably reproductive health, and mental health - among others.
The system, as resilient as it is has seen all resources strained including human, material and financial resources impacting on access to services as well as the quality of care provided.

WORKING TOGETHER Climate Change Is Real in Zimbabwe , - all Zimbabweans like other people around the world are affected by extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods and to a lesser extent heat waves, wildfires, and earthquakes.
While extreme events have occurred throughout our history, climate change is increasing their intensity and frequency.

Extreme weather events are now a constant threat to human health and well-being.

They disrupt the physical and social infrastructure people and communities rely on to stay safe and healthy before, during, and after weather-related disaster such as cylone Idai.
the While cyclones were a rare occurrence in our country, the same cannot be said now as the list below can confirm: Gombe: 8th to 14th March 2022 - category 3 The cyclone did not make direct landfall.

On March 13th, 2022 at 8:00 am it had the shortest distance at about 271 km northwest of Mutoko in Mashonaland East.

23rd to 25th January 2022 - Category - Tropical storm.

Wind speed: max.

93 km/h on land: affected regions 25th to 30th December Mashonaland East.

2020 - Category tropical cyclone.


The cyclone did not make direct landfall.

On December 30th, 2020 at 2:00 am it had the shortest distance at about 346 km west of Chimanimani in Manicaland.

4th to 16th March 2019 - category 4.

Wind speed: max.

213 km/h Affected regions Manicaland Mashonaland East Chalane: Ana: Idai: Climate change is projected to worsen the intensity and impacts of extreme weather events not only in Zimbabwe but the world over.
A warming climate leads to more intense cyclones, heat waves and increased evaporation.

This worsens droughts, creating ideal conditions for wildfires.

The 2021/22 farming season in Zimbabwe saw the onset of the rains delayed to January 2022.

This created confusion as those who had planted early saw their crops wilt and die off and re-planting was a necessity.

When the the downpours were continuous, rains did come, incessant and at times heavy with hail.
The heavens seemed to be n a wrecking mission and plunder the season's hope for a meaningful harvest.

Unlike the previous year, the harvest for the season has been forecast to be half of the expected.

o Climate change is bringing harsher and more frequent droughts to Zimbabwe, threatening the staple maize crop.
Efforts to adapt to climate change are a big struggle for Zimbabweans as the country is facing an economic crisis caused by the recent COVID-19 lockdowns and now inflation pushed by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Analysts and aid agencies have warned that rising farming costs caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and by the pandemic could lead to fewer crops being planted and exacerbate a food crisis not just in Zimbabwe but across Africa.
Climate change is real and the evidence is there for all to see and witness.

Effects that may not be immediately apparent are increases in diseases caused extremes of moisture or lack there off.
improved access to essential medicines and commodities; Group Captain Dr. M. Dobbie Chief Director Public Health Chief Director Public Health in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Group Captain (Dr) Dobbie highlighted Zimbabwe's commitment to addressing climate change as displayed in the National Health Strategy 2021- 2025.
The ten strategic focus areas are characterized by the attainment of key outcomes enunciated in the National Development Strategy (NDS) including; 1. to water, sanitation and healthy environment; and medical equipment for Health Service Delivery; the Health Service; increased domestic funding for health; communicable and non- communicable diseases; maternal, new-born child and adolescent health and nutrition; public health surveillance and disaster preparedness and response; and improved primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary, and quinary care.
increased access improved health infrastructure improved governance of 6. reduced morbidity and mortality due to improved reproductive, mproved 10. improved health sector human resources performance; 9. i 2.

5.

4.

8.

3.

7.

Recommendations and key action points • There is need for continued advocacy on the impact of climate change and health by all key stakeholders throughout the year to ensure the conversation does not end after the 7th of April.
• IEC materials on climate change and health need to be developed and placed on strategic sites where people can easily get access (for example shops, schools, water collection sources and churches, hospitals, and factories).

• There is need for Government to refocus and consider building houses which are strong enough to withstand the bad weather through reviewing the construction policies.
• When building infrastructure, all stakeholders need to priorities building green and be provided with adequate knowledge and skills for such.

• There is an urgent need to develop a well-structured advocacy policy to cl support what they can do collectively to mitigate the climate crisis.

imate change advocacy and share widely with various partners on • Schools also need to start teaching children on the actions they can take to mitigate climate change - “catch them young”.
• Individual's action is also needed in reducing climate change.

Health Matters - for a healthy community 19 EDITOR’S PICK Advance Equity.

Build Resilience.

End Malaria Malaria remains a public health problem in Zimbabwe, with more than 9 million people at risk of contracting malaria annually.

In 2021 the country recorded a decrease in the number of reported cases from 447,381 cases in 2020 to about 133,134.
This translates to a 70% reduction in the number of cases with the number of deaths falling from 400 in 2020 to 122 in 2021.

Malaria accounts for about 40% of outpatient attendances in the moderate to high transmission districts, especially during the peak transmission period.

Zimbabwe joined the world to commemorate World Malaria Day.
The day, celebrated every year on April 25, is an opportunity to highlight global efforts to eliminate malaria through sustained political will and efforts to control and eliminate the disease.

This year's theme was 'Advance Equity.

Build Resilience.

End Malaria' recognizes the need for increased investment to accelerate progress against the disease and build resilient systems capable of responding to health shocks such as the COVID-19.
“Even though Zimbabwe recorded a decrease in malaria cases, now more than ever we need to double our efforts to ensure that malaria is eliminated,” says Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Constantino Chiwenga.
“The country continues to collaborate with the neighbouring countries on malaria prevention and control with an aim of harmonizing strategies for implementation and ensuring that the country realizes its malaria elimination goal as outlined in the National Development Strategy 2021-2025.” While the country is doing well and has made progress towards making malaria services accessible to many, a lot of Zimbabweans are still at risk from the disease, particularly those in the high burdened districts such as border districts.
Zimbabwe, like the rest of the world, is still faced with growing insecticide resistance which calls for increased investments toward malaria elimination.

The World Malaria Report 2021 shows malaria deaths in Africa are significantly higher than previous estimated, with children under five accounting for 80% of malaria deaths in the region.

For Zimbabwe, about 12% of the reported cases were among children under the age of 5 years.
The situation has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, perpetuating poverty and inequality particularly in the most vulnerable in communities.

government avails some funds To consolidate the gains and address the remaining gaps, continued investment towards malaria elimination remains critical.

The Malaria Control Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025 has a budget of USD173,036,898.

through the national budget, but it The still falls short of the target.
Other partners, including the President Malaria Initiative (PMI) and the Global Fund are contributing to the malaria elimination goal.

More resources are still needed to enable full implementation of the activities in the Malaria Strategic Plan 2021-2025.

In Zimbabwe, the two core vector control interventions used to prevent and control malaria include Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) and use of Long-lasting Insecticidal nets (LLINs) as well as the use of efficacious medicines to treat malaria.
The decrease in malaria cases and deaths is attributed to good coverages of these interventions.

In addition, the lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19, which included shutting down of porous borders and curfews also helped in limiting high risk activities, possibly contributing to the decline in malaria cases.
“Progress against malaria depends on strong health systems that are adequately funded and equipped to deliver quality health care to all, particularly the most vulnerable,” said Dr Alex Gasasira, WHO Zimbabwe In October 2021, WHO recommended the widespread use of the malaria vaccine, RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S), the prevention of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in children living in regions with moderate to high Plasmodium falciparum malaria transmission.
Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest of all malaria parasites.

for The Malaria Control Program in Zimbabwe has received technical and financial support from important partners such as the Global Fund, WHO, USAID, DFID, PLAN, CHAI and many others, including communities and their leadership.

Despite challenges and heavy workload due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health workers, including Village Health Workers (VHWs) have also remained dedicated to screen, test and treat for malaria.
Strengthening Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security on the African Continent , one day national nutrition learning Zimbabwe on 23 June 2022 held a event in Gweru under the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund a multi sectoral initiative aimed at improving food security and nutrition in the country in line with the National Development Strategy Phase 1 (NDS1).
The event was held under the theme “Strengthening Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security on the African Continent,” after the African Union declared 2022 as the year of Nutrition.

Speaking at the event Deputy Director Nutrition in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Mr. Handrea Njovo said that the learning event was mainly aimed at exchanging ideas, lessons as well as experience. ''
The main objective of this national learning event is to share experiences and lessons learnt from mainstreaming nutrition sensitive interventions into resilience building program to improve food and nutrition security amongst rural communities”, said Deputy Director Nutrition.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care has prioritised the care gap in line with the NDS1 in order to create opportunities that will strengthen joint efforts and achieve a healthier and sustainable future, said Njovo.
“The NDS1 provides all stakeholders with a time bound opportunity to strengthen joint efforts and achieve a healthier and more sustainable future as well as prevails as a powerful instrument to build a productive and prosperous nation," Njovo further said.

UNDP Representative Solomon Mutambara said that vulnerability and resilience are two sides of the same coin during the overview of the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund in the 18 districts.

“Resilience and vulnerability are two sides of the same coin.
Resilience is multi diversional and multi integrational,” said Solomon Mutambara.

Enhancing Community Resilience and Sustainability (ECRS) Representative, Fungai Gutusa added that the goal for effective approaches integration nutrition in resilience targets communities to be food and income secure in order to withstand shocks and stresses.
The learning event managed to share experiences and best practices among participants drawn from the 18 districts from which the Ministry of Health and Child Care has been implementing the programme working in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement.
Health Matters - for a healthy community 20 WHO PREDICTS FALL IN COVID DEATHS IN 2022 90% WHO analysis shows deaths on the African continent from COVID-19 are expected to fall by nearly 94 percent in 2022 compared to last year, modelling by the World Health Organization (WHO) has shown.

2021 was the pandemic's most deadly year in Africa, with COVID-19 registering as the seventh major cause of death, just below malaria.
“Our latest analysis suggests that estimated deaths in the African region will shrink to around 60 a day in 2022.Last year, we lost an average of 970 people every day,” WHO Africa director Matshidiso Moeti told a virtual news conference.

The gulf in the numbers is due to increased vaccination, improved pandemic response and natural immunity from prior infections.

COVID deaths in Africa have been uneven.


Richer countries and southern African nations have had around double the mortality rates of poorer ones in other parts of Africa, partly due to co-morbidities that increase the risk of death, the WHO analysis found.

Around 23,000 deaths are expected by the end of the year, provided current variants and transmission patterns remain the same, according to the analysis.
The findings infer that only one in 71 COVID-19 cases are recorded in Africa and that about one in three deaths have been missed.

Although African countries struggled early in the pandemic to secure COVID vaccines as rich countries hoarded available doses, many are now well-supplied with shots but are having trouble getting them into arms.

The reasons include hesitancy and logistics.

As of the end of May, Africa had reported over 11.8 million confirmed COVID cases and more than 250,000 deaths.
“The job is not yet done.

Every time we sit back and relax, COVID-19 flares up again.

The threat of new variants remains real, and we need to be ready to cope with this ever-present danger,” Moeti told the briefing.

EDITOR’S PICK Xeroderma Pigmentosum Health Matters is continuing to introduce lesser known diseases to the public and this issue looks at XP.

Xeroderma Pigmentosum commonly known as XP is a genetic disorder which causes the skin and tissue to be extremely sensitive to sunlight.
So XP people are allergic to the Sun.Being an inherited disease a radical cure cannot be expected.

The basics of patient care are complete defense from UV and symptomatic treatments for complications.

If these patients do not take appropriate protection from sunlight they will develop serious photosensitivity, progressive development of freckle like pigment disorder and skin cancers that have the tendency of developing frequently and multi-focal regardless of young age.
The prognosis of the patients depends on how early a definite diagnosis is made to initiate protection from the sunlight.

Can strict protection from sunlight be carried out thoroughly, how can early can cancer be detected and treated on the skin after sun exposure, control of the neurological symptoms and how appropriate treatment is provided to prevent progress?

XP has no cure at the moment so the best treatment is to completely avoid the sun.
Since quite a number of XP patients are of school going age it is close to impossible for them to completely avoid the sun.

Hence protection from the sun is needed like applying sunscreen lotions with a sun protection factor(SPF) 50+ ,wearing protective long sleeved clothing,gloves,hats with visors as well as sunglasses.

There is also need to apply film on window and a sun shade when windows are open.
Signs and Symptoms of an XP patient are: Sunburn and blistering that does not heal just after a little sun exposure.

Spider like.

Blood vessels under the skin, patches of discolored skin that raw skin surface A child suffering from adverse effects of xeroderma is supported by founder of Xeroderma Awareness Trust Health Matters - for a healthy community 21 ENTERTAINMENT Did You Know ?

WHAT IS AN EPIDEMIC?


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes an epidemic as an unexpected increase in the number of disease cases in a specific geographical area.

Yellow fever, smallpox, measles, and polio are prime examples of epidemics.

An epidemic disease doesn't necessarily have to be contagious.

West Nile fever and the rapid increase in obesity rates are also considered epidemics.
Epidemics can refer to a disease or other specific health-related behavior (e.g., smoking) with rates that are clearly above the expected occurrence in a community or region.

WHAT IS A PANDEMIC?

The World Health Organization (WHO) declares a pandemic when a disease's growth is exponential.

This means the growth rate skyrockets, and each day cases grow more than the day prior.

In being declared a pandemic, the virus has nothing to do with virology, population immunity, or disease severity.
It means a virus covers a wide area, affecting several countries and populations.

WHAT DOES ENDEMIC MEAN?

A disease outbreak is endemic when it is consistently present but limited to a particular region.

This makes the disease is spread and rates predictable.

Malaria, for example, considered endemic in certain countries and regions.
WORLD HEALTH DAY - APRIL 7 Theme 2022 Our planet, our health WORLD MALARIA Day - APRIL 25 Theme 2022 Harness Innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY - MAY 31 Theme 2022 United for Dignity WORLD ALBINISM DAY - JUNE 13 Theme 2022 United in making our voice WORD PUZZLE VIRUS DRUG POLIO PANIC MBANJE ALBINISM MUTORIRO MARIJUANA PANDEMIC ENDEMIC EPIDEMIC ANTISEPTIC INSPECTORATE TRAFFICKING XERODERMA MONKEYPOX What's the Difference Between a General Practitioner and a Specialist?
One treats what you have and the other thinks you have what he treats.

An old lady goes to the doctor and says, “I have this problem with frequent gas.

Fortunately, the farts never smell and are always silent.

As a matter of fact, I've farted at least 10 times since I've been here, and I bet you didn't even notice!” The doctor says, “I see.

Take these pills and come back next week.” The next week the old lady returns.
“Doctor,” she says, “I don't know what you gave me, but now my silent farts stink like the dickens.” The doctor says, “Good!

Now that we've cleared up your sinuses, let's work on your hearing.” A man speaks frantically into the phone, "My wife is pregnant, and her contractions are only two minutes apart!"

"Is this her first child?"

the doctor queries.

"No you idiot!"

the man shouts.

"This is her husband!” WORLD BLOOD DONOR - JUNE 14 Theme 2022 Donating is an act of solidarity.
Join the effort and save lives The Money's Good A plumber attended to a leaking tap at the neurosurgeon's house.

After a two-minute job, he demanded $150.

INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST DRUG ABUSE AND ILLICIT TRAFFICKING - JUNE 26 Theme 2022 Addressing drug challenges in health and humanitarian crises The neurosurgeon exclaimed, "I don't even charge that amount and I am a brain surgeon."

The plumber replied, "I agree.

You are right!

I too, didn't either, when I was a surgeon.


That's why I switched to plumbing!” Health Matters - for a healthy community 22