Data from the Ministry of Health in Botswana shows that there has been a decline in routine immunisation coverage since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, UNICEF Botswana has said.
“For example, national routine immunization coverage for the pentavalent vaccine (a critical vaccine that prevents five childhood diseases) declined from 79% in 2019 to 70% in 2021,” said UNICEF.
UNICEF Botswana was commenting on annual State of the World Children’s report released on 20th April 2023, by UNICEF. The report reveals that globally a total of 67 million children missed out on vaccinations between 2019 and 2021, with vaccination coverage levels decreasing in 112 countries. Children born just before or during the COVID-19 pandemic are now moving past the age when they would normally be vaccinated, underscoring the need for urgent action to catch up for those who were missed and prevent deadly disease outbreaks.
UNICEF Botswana says the continued decline in the country in routine immunisation coverage has recently resulted in outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including the polio outbreak declared in October 2022 which triggered two rounds of polio immunisation campaigns.
“We applaud the collaboration between the Government of Botswana and its partners in rolling out two rounds of polio vaccination activities nationwide. Thanks to the leadership of the Ministry of Health, the campaign reached 81% of children under the age of 7. There is, however, a need to enhance surveillance and strengthen routine immunisation to ensure that children who were missed during the campaign are reached, since the effects of polio can be irreversible,“ said UNICEF Representative Dr. Joan Matji.
In Botswana, the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) within the Ministry of Health leads on delivering immunisation services to children. While progress has been made in integrating immunization into delivery of primary healthcare services, there are children in remote, low-income and marginalized communities that have never accessed immunization services and therefore live in so-called “zero-dose communities”.
UNICEF has been supporting the Government of Botswana throughout the COVID-19 response, in particular through procurement of cold chain equipment for health facilities, regional vaccine stores and the central medical store. This was embedded within a broader strategy to strengthen all aspects of vaccine management and routine immunization systems through technical assistance.
To accelerate progress towards full vaccination of every child living in Botswana, UNICEF recommends the following: 1) Urgently identify and reach all children, especially those who missed routine vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic;
2)Support capacity-building at district and national levels for better immunization microplanning to map target populations and serve hard-to-reach communities with integrated PHC services, including routine immunization services;
3)Strengthen demand for routine immunization and primary health care services through enhanced community engagement strategies, especially with vaccine-hesitant and zero-dose communities;
Prioritize domestic financing for procurement and administration of both traditional and new vaccines.
