African Vaccination Week 2012
Currently in Lesotho there are challenges facing the health sector, one of which is a declining vaccination coverage.
The new government, elected in May, have made Immunization one of their first 100 day priority areas and since then the Ministry of Health has put in all its effort to reverse the current situation, including the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) programme conducting outreach services in each district in order to improve vaccination coverage. The Ministry of Health in partnership with Christian Health Association of Lesotho, WHO Lesotho and Maseru Rotary Club represented by Ms. Thabelo Khoboko conducted the campaign.
Lesotho had to postpone celebrating African Immunization Week earlier this year due to the elections and then a harsh winter. But spurred on by the new governments enthusiasm the celebrations finally took place on the 17th -21st September 2012, in Thaba-Tseka, in a village called Ha Motake. Thaba-Tseka was chosen as a priority district because of its low performance in surveillance activities.
The purpose of the week was to celebrate the prevention of the polio virus, which Lesotho has been free from for 10 years this year. It was also used to promote increased vaccination coverage as well as accelerating the uptake of new and already existing vaccines to save children from vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio,hemophilus influenza, hepatitis, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis especially in hard-to-reach areas.
In her opening remarks at the launch of the week, Mrs. Matefo Tefo, a nurse from Paray Hospital, highlighted the importance of vaccinations and how they help reduce child mortality in the country and prevent debilitating illnesses and disability. She promoted using a combination of vaccines and supplements, such as Vitamin A, which boost a child’s immune systems. She stressed parents should not be reluctant to bring their child for vaccinations.
The success of this Vaccination Week was increased by the use of flexible frameworks to try and reach as many children as possible. On the third day, four members of the team went out on horse-riding to reach children in hard-to-reach areas.
While the communities in Thaba Tseka have faced many challenges, one service provider, Motake Centre, has experienced a lot of success in its recent immunization programs. The statistics showed that in 20 villages, with the total number of 415 target groups, 354 children were reached with only 59 of them absent. 198 children were fully immunized and 145 were up-to-date.
Challenges identified over the week facing the district include lack of roads and infrastructure, long walking hours to reach health centers, lack of understanding and lack of information among expectant mothers who do not attend clinics during pregnancy. Some misconceptions in the area have led to a hesitation to get children vaccinated as some parents believe because they grew up without being vaccinated their children can do the same with no adverse consequences.
The recommendation was that better guidance should be developed to help health professionals to effectively provide outreach services regularly up to monthly.
