Vaccinating and registering the children born during Ebola
Sierra Leone conducts immunization and birth registration campaigns for children under five
In Sierra Leone, the Ebola outbreak has affected all aspects of health care. Exact numbers are yet to be confirmed but it is clear that many children have missed out on routine vaccination services and birth registration during the outbreak. To counter this, mass immunization campaigns are being held to enable children to ‘catch-up’. In June this year, an integrated measles and polio campaign was conducted reaching 97% of children under the age of 5.
In mid-July, Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health and Sanitation, supported by WHO, UNICEF, Plan Sierra Leone (nongovernmental organization) and other partners held a 3-day campaign to vaccinate 1.4 million children against polio.
The campaign also registered births, issuing birth certificates for an estimated 200 000 children born at home during the Ebola outbreak. Children not registered at birth prior to the outbreak were also registered and issued with certificates nationwide.
"Immunization campaigns are important steps in protecting children against preventable diseases and assuring their well-being", said Dr Anders Nordström, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone.
"While we are still striving to get to zero Ebola, restoring services – such as birth registration and routine immunization – and empowering social structures and institutions to be functional is critical in transitioning from the Ebola response to a concrete recovery process."