Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE government has allayed fear over increased cases of flu, headaches, fever, body aches and malaise, terming it as seasonal influenza caused by weather changes.
Recently, a number of people have been reported to have suffered from severe headache, flu and body fevers, causing fear of whether there is another wave of Covid-19.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Aifello Sichalwe said in a statement yesterday that the ministry of health and its institutions are closely monitoring the situation to establish the possible symptoms of the current outbreak.
“The Ministry of Health has monitored the reports on the increase in the number of people who have experienced body fever, headache and flu, however, this is a seasonal influenza that is caused by the changes in weather condition,” he said.
According to Dr Sichalwe, this is not the first time, as it had already happened a few years ago, saying those who have developed the symptoms should report to health facilities for medical attention.
In another development, Dr Sichwale reminded members of the public to continue adhering to all protective measures of Covid-19, which include regular washing of hands with clean and moving water, observing social distance and putting on a face mask.
“Also, it is very important to ensure that all people are vaccinated, and it is encouraged that people should report immediately on the indicators of communicable diseases to a free toll number, 199,” he said.
Adding, “We have already instructed the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), higher education learning intuitions and other experts to continue providing statistics, education as well as report on the surveillance that has been done to establish flu cases in the country”.
As part of collaborative efforts to fight Covid-19, Tanzania had in November this year received 499,590 doses of Pfizer-Biontech vaccine from the United States under Covax Facility.
This provides multiple options for Tanzanians on the types of vaccines they should go for.
Pfizer is the third Covid-19 vaccine that has been received in the country; others are Johnson &Johnson from the US and Sinopharm from China.
So far, the government has approved five vaccines to be used in the country, which have also been endorsed by WHO, which includes Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinopharm and Sinovac.
Under the Covax arrangement, Tanzania, like other countries, will receive vaccines which will cover 20 per cent of its total population.
Speaking shortly during an event to receive the vaccines, Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Dorothy Gwajima, assured Tanzanians that the vaccines are safe and have been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Right now, Tanzanians have multiple options on the kind of vaccine they want to take, they are not limited to one vaccine,” she said, commending the US for its continued support for Tanzania.
She said by November 19 this year, a total of 1,359,624 Tanzanians were fully vaccinated, among whom, 988,293 were injected with a single shot of J&J vaccine while the remaining had received double shots of Sinoparm.
According to her, some 371,331 others received a single shot of Sinopharm. Dr Gwajima also named Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Dodoma, Arusha, Mwanza, Ruvuma, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara and Kagera as the best regions that have performed well in the issuance of Covid-19 vaccine.
So far, the government has already received a total of 1,227,400 doses of J&J vaccines for 1,227,400 and 2,578,400 doses of Sinopharm vaccines for 1,289,200 people as it requires two shots per person.
“The just received 499,590 doses of Pfizer are meant for 249,795 people, the government will use available scientists to confirm efficacy of the vaccines before being introduced for use,” she assured.
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