Immunization needs community leaders participation for success-Health Educator

Poor response has been recorded at the conclusion of a four day immunisation programme in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The Health Educator and Social Mobilisation Officer of the locality, Lilian Oyetayo says the government should always engage community leaders for rural immunisation campaigns. Oyetayo said this in Bwari , while speaking on the 2018 December Polio Outbreak Response, being organised between December 15 and 18.

She said that the input of the community process would particularly promote the inclusive participation of all stakeholders. Oyetayo, however, decried poor level of compliance and participation by the residents of Tudun-Rugan community in the polio response activity, which had somewhat frustrated the efforts of health officials to effectively carry out anti-polio immunisation in the neighbourhood. The Chief Imam of Sabongari Central Mosque in Bwari, Ibrahim Yusuf said that it  ignorance is the residents of the community that made them to resist the administration of injectable vaccines on their wards. 

The Health Educator noted that the residents would never accept any injectable vaccine, adding that they always preferred the administration of oral polio vaccine. “This is the fifth time we are coming here. We have come earlier to sensitise the community’s residents to the need to immunise their children and wards from 0 to 11 months against measles."

According to her,“we came here and injected the children that were due for measles immunisation and other interventions like yellow fever, so as to prevent them from getting infected in the event of any outbreak." Oyetayo further explained that “most of the parents will not allow you to immunise their children or wards. The health officers, who come here, carry out the exercise in fear but we have so far immunised only five children in the community." Finally, the Social Mobiliser added that “we, therefore, call on the government to always engage community leaders in awareness creation on rural health issues in order to help proffer solutions to the non-acceptance of injectable vaccines by the residents.’’