Lesotho will over the next two weeks embark on a vaccination campaign against measles, rubella and COVID-19, the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.
The National Integrated Measles and Rubella (MR) and COVID-19 vaccination campaign is due to take place from October 25 to November 5, with the MR immunisation exercise targeting children up to five years.
“In line with the global strategy for measles and rubella/Congenital Rubella Syndrome elimination, Lesotho decided to leverage the measles Supplementary Immunization Activities to administer Measles Rubella Vaccine in order to prevent the epidemiology of measles and rubella in the country,” the ministry said.
Ministry surveillance officer Malikhetho Motenelapi said the MR vaccination campaign aimed to reach and protect all children, especially those who previously missed the routine immunization services or those who did not develop immunity after the 1st dose of the MR vaccine.
She noted that the provision of routine immunization service was interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, hence the need to catch and avert future outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, saying there are confirmed cases of Measles outbreaks in some districts.
The mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign aimed to ensure that Lesotho to reach the target of 70 percent of the population eligible for taking the coronavirus vaccine to reach herd immunity, she said.
JN/APA