By Wendy Mkandawire
The Ministry of Health and Sanitation says it wants to reach 95 percent of an estimated 1.2 million children in seven targeted districts during the upcoming Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign.
The remarks were made on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, in Mponela during a media engagement meeting aimed at equipping journalists to provide accurate information to the public about Measles-Rubella and avoid misinformation.
Speaking during the one-day engagement, the Deputy Programme Manager for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), Jane Dzoole, urged journalists to provide accurate information to the public regarding the campaign so that more parents get their children vaccinated.
According to Dzoole, the campaign is crucial to closing the immunity gap, as the country is experiencing measles outbreaks in different districts.
“Measles is a dangerous disease, it can cause several complications. As a country, we don’t want to continue experiencing measles and we want to eliminate the disease,” she said.
Leonard Maganga, Director of Programmes at the Malawi Red Cross Society, said engagement with the media is very important as it will help the public get timely and accurate information.
He also commended the Ministry of Health for its efforts in fighting measles, saying that despite challenges such as people not completing vaccine doses or those who deliberately choose not to receive vaccines, the Ministry continues to respond.
Maganga said Malawi Red Cross Society has built the capacity of its network of volunteers to respond to the current outbreaks as well as the nationwide vaccination campaign.
“We have trained 1,300 volunteers and 150 community health workers. This initiative will support awareness activities reaching 39,000 households in the targeted areas,” Maganga said.
As of August 2026, Malawi has recorded 372 measles cases and one death, which shows the threat the disease poses to the country.
The targeted districts are Blantyre, Lilongwe,mzuzu Nsanje ,Dedza Balaka and kasungu.
