Tetanus funding appeal
The National, Tuesday 4th June 2013
By ELIZABETH MIAE
THE Health Department is appealing to politicians to fund the third round of the supplementary immunisation activity for the tetanus toxoid campaign.
The nationwide immunisation will take place from June 17 to July 26 targeting females between 15 and 45 years old, including pregnant women.
Manager for the national expanded programme on immunisation Gerard Sui said they had distributed information materials about tetanus to all members of parliament as part of their advocacy to get them to help fund the activity.
He said the information gave MPs a fair idea of what tetanus was and how serious it was especially to the targeted group.
“Currently we’re communicating with our people on the ground in the provinces to find out how their preparations are going. Some of them have problems with funding and the National Capital District is one of them.”
Sui said health authorities in the city had written to the department seeking K300,000 for the activity. The funding would be sourced from the health functional grant.
He said vaccines were being packed and sent out to provinces.
Tetanus occurs when the infectious organism enters the body through an open wound.
It occurs in newborn infants when the umbilical cord is cut with unsterile cutting instrument or when the end of cord becomes contaminated because of unsterile dressing.
According to Sui, globally 40,000 mothers die annually from tetanus acquired during delivery.