AS ZIMBABWE’S FOOD NEEDS INCREASE, UN HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES STEP UP OPERATIONS TO ADDRESS UNDERLYING CAUSES

AS ZIMBABWE’S FOOD NEEDS INCREASE, UN HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES

STEP UP OPERATIONS TO ADDRESS UNDERLYING CAUSES

NEW YORK, 18 September -- United Nations humanitarian agencies in Zimbabwe are stepping up operations to address food shortages and their underlying causes.  The United Nations has also identified the need to strengthen a national immunization programme, which has been affected by the country’s economic downturn.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is now scaling up operations in Zimbabwe as whole communities have exhausted their food stocks.  In August, the agency’s food aid programme reached some 1.1 million rural beneficiaries in 31 districts, up from 22 districts in the May post-harvest season.  Assistance will increase to cover 36 districts in September.  Food needs are expected to increase sharply over the next seven months before the April 2004 harvest.

To address longer-term food insecurity, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that non-governmental organizations have so far secured funds to provide agricultural assistance to slightly over 590,000 vulnerable households.  That assistance will include maize and other small grains as well as bean seeds.  Several other types of assistance are planned, including training/extension services and the provision of inputs through a voucher and fairs mechanism.  Non-governmental organizations are still negotiating funding for additional interventions with major donors.

Health also remains a concern in Zimbabwe.  A number of epidemics in the past 12 months have threatened the lives of thousands of children and other vulnerable sections of the population.  A recent outbreak of measles has been reported in Mutare District in Manicaland Province.  Since its onset at the beginning of July, a total of 40 cases were reported.  Sixty-eight per cent of the people in that area are under 5 years of age and only 8 per cent had been vaccinated.  Twelve reported deaths could not be laboratory confirmed.  The outbreak is centred in the Marange community, who are of the Apostolic faith sect and do not believe in modern medicine.

Ministry of Health and Child Welfare personnel conducted an urgent vaccination programme targeting all children between nine months and 14 years, with a total of 2,000 children having been vaccinated to date.  The surrounding communities should also be protected through vaccination of children aged nine months to 14 years.

It is apparent from such outbreaks that there is an urgent need to strengthen the extended programme of immunization (EPI) through the provision of adequate transport, gas and vaccines to conduct mop up vaccination campaigns.  The EPI has been one of the flagship programmes run by the Zimbabwe Government but currently it has been severely affected by the current humanitarian crisis coupled with the severe economic recession.  The outreach programme has been the most affected component owing to the unavailability of fuel, finance and transport.  That has resulted in lack of access to basic health services, particularly to those populations that have been resettled, making them more susceptible to disease outbreaks.

For further information, please contact:  Stephanie Bunker (New York), tel.:  917 367-5126.

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