by NORMA TSOPO
MINISTRY of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) will launch a five-day integrated vaccination campaign from June 15th to 19th 2026, targeting both the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Tetanus-Diphtheria (Td) vaccines at schoolchildren and out-of-school youth.
The push comes as health authorities confront a stubborn reality: low HPV vaccine coverage among women, a gap that threatens to undo years of progress against cervical cancer, which claims nearly 2,000 Zimbabwean women annually.
In a notice announcing the campaign, MoHCC, said the drive was necessitated by persistently low uptake.
It notes that lack of vaccination of young girls place them at high risk of contracting Human Papillomavirus in adulthood, thereby increasing the prevalence of cervical cancer among women. Vaccination with the HPV vaccine reduces the risk of developing cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer remains the most common malignancy among Zimbabwean women, accounting for 31.4 percent of all female cancers according to the Globocan 2022 report. An estimated 3,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, out of which roughly 2,000 women succumb to the disease—a mortality rate exceeding 70 per cent.
The campaign will deploy two distinct immunisation strategies. The HPV vaccine will be administered exclusively to two female cohorts: all girls in Grade 5, and out-of-school girls aged 10 years.
The Td vaccine, guarding against tetanus and diphtheria, will be given without sex distinction to all children aged five and 10 years—boys and girls alike.
Td vaccine will provide protection against serious bacterial infections of Tetanus and Diphtheria, which can lead to paralysis and death.
Tetanus (Lockjaw) is caused by bacteria entering the body through cuts or wounds. It can lead to painful, rigid muscle spasms, locked jaws and can lead to death.
Diphtheria is a highly contagious infection affecting the nose and throat. It creates a thick coating in the airway that causes breathing difficulties, heart failure, paralysis and death.
Vaccination teams will operate across three settings: health facilities, primary schools, and early childhood development centres. The campaign runs from Monday to Friday, 15–19 June 2026.
Ministry officials stress that vaccination alone is insufficient. In parallel guidance, authorities underscored that HPV immunisation must operate as one component of a broader preventive framework. Women and girls are urged to observe abstinence as a definitive barrier to infection, undergo regular cervical cancer screening, and receive sustained sexual health education.
Since the inception of Zimbabwe’s national HPV vaccination programme in 2018, over two million girls have received jabs. Yet coverage has stagnated at roughly 55 per cent overall, with rural areas bearing disproportionate immunity gaps.
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