By Linda Justin | Dowa

The Ministry of Health is set to conduct a nationwide Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign from September 21 to 25, 2026, targeting children aged between nine months and nine years.

The campaign was announced on Wednesday during a media orientation exercise held in Mponela, Dowa, ahead of the nationwide vaccination drive.

Director of Programmes and Development at the Malawi Red Cross Society, Leonard Maganga, has urged media organisations to provide accurate information and avoid sensational reporting when covering the campaign.

Maganga said the media has a critical role in ensuring that communities receive correct information and in countering misinformation that could discourage parents and guardians from taking eligible children for vaccination.

Meanwhile, Deputy Programme Manager in the Expanded Programme on Immunization, Jane Dzoole, said an immunity gap still exists among some children due to missed vaccinations in certain areas despite ongoing immunisation interventions.

Dzoole has urged parents, guardians and community mobilisers to ensure that all eligible children are vaccinated during the campaign. She also encouraged parents and guardians to ensure that children aged six to 59 months receive Vitamin A supplements, which will be provided alongside the vaccination exercise.

According to Dzoole, the interventions are aimed at closing the immunity gap and protecting children from Measles-Rubella, a disease that can cause serious illness and, in severe cases, death among children.