4.5 million children targeted as Zambia marks Child Health Week

Minister of Health Professor, Roma Chilengi, has launched the 2026 Child Health Week campaign in Lusaka, targeting more than 4.5 million children under the age of five across the country.

During the week-long campaign, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with cooperating partners, aims to reach 4,509,005 children under five with vitamin A supplementation, deworming, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening, routine and catch-up immunisations, as well as routine human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for eligible nine-year-old girls.

The launch, held in Lusaka on Monday, was attended by permanent secretaries in the Ministry of Health, UNICEF Country Representative Dr Saja Farooq Abdullah, World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative Dr Peter Clement Lasuba and other cooperating partners.

Chilengi said the campaign was particularly focused on children who remained underserved because of geographical, socioeconomic, cultural and health-system-related barriers.

He said Child Health Week was a strategic public health intervention designed to accelerate access to essential preventive and promotive health and nutrition services, particularly for children who were often missed by routine service delivery.

“Child Health Week is a strategic public health intervention designed to accelerate access to essential preventive and promotive health and nutrition services for children, particularly those who remain underserved,” he said.

The minister said children’s health was a fundamental pillar of national development and a critical foundation for human capital development, improved educational attainment and long-term socioeconomic advancement.

He said this year’s theme, “Strengthening Community Health Systems: Closing the Last Mile for Every Child,” underscored the collective responsibility to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare.

WARNING! All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.