On Wednesday, July 06, 2022, the First Lady of the country, Angeline Ndayishimiye enhanced with her presence the official launch of the mother-child health week in the capital of the province of Ruyigi. She was accompanied by the minister in charge of public health, executives of this ministry as well as the authorities of the said province. Different vaccines will be administered to children and pregnant women.
In her speech for the occasion, the First Lady, Angeline Ndayishimiye said that the Mother-Child Health Week is organized to contribute to the reduction of morbidity and mortality attributable to diseases preventable by vaccination, intestinal parasites, malnutrition and to coronavirus disease.
She indicated that the government of Burundi has highlighted the good health of mothers and children. It is for this reason that it organizes, via the ministry in charge of health, weeks dedicated to these categories to contribute to the improvement of their health.
Ms. Ndayishimiye clarified that from the year 2022, the activities organized during the Mother-Child Health Week will take place in health centers during routine vaccinations. She therefore asked health providers and community health workers to ensure that all recipients of these vaccines are served without exception.
She also called on all Burundians to respond massively to vaccines organized at the national level in order to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases. She also urged all women to get a good diet in order to have good health as well as their children.
She also asked men to accompany their wives to health facilities to have their children vaccinated so that they grow up normally, reminding them that the care of children in the family is done by both parents.
Different vaccines will be administered during Mother-Child Health Week
In her speech, the Minister of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS, Sylvie Nzeyimana said that good health for the population in general is the source of development. She then took the opportunity to express her gratitude to the First Lady of the country for having participated in the official launch of the Mother-Child Health Week. This shows his concern for good health for the whole population in general and for children and women in particular.
She recalled that the activities planned during this week are, among others, vitamin A supplementation for 1,660,864 children aged 6 to 54 months, deworming with albendazole for 4,232,358 children aged 1 to 14 years and to 258,702 pregnant women from the second trimester of their pregnancies as well as raising awareness on the continuity of routine vaccines and prevention against Covid-19.
Dr. Nzeyimana clarified that Mother-Child Health Week is organized from July 6 to 8, 2022 in all provinces except Bujumbura town hall, Karusi and Kirundo. She explained that, the ministry in charge of health has already administered these vaccines during routine vaccination in these three provinces.
She then seized the opportunity to sensitize the entire population of the target provinces, especially pregnant women and parents, to respond to this Mother-Child Health Week in order to prevent diseases preventable by various vaccines.
As for the representative of the system of United Nations agencies in the said ceremonies, Xavier Crespin, he appreciated the efforts made by the government of Burundi to improve the health of mothers and children. To this end, he reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations organizations working in Burundi in their technical and financial support with the aim of ensuring good health for the entire population in general and for mothers and children in particular.