CAR: Vaccinating 73,000 Children Against Eight Diseases

MSF163899.jpg

MSF

An unprecedented vaccination campaign is underway in the Central African Republic (CAR). The objective? Vaccinate as many children as possible in the country against some of the most common preventable diseases.

MSF163901.jpg

MSF

In a country that was already a sanitary desert before the outbreak of violence in 2013, immunization coverage is very low. Today, less than 15 percent of children are fully protected against childhood diseases and epidemics.

MSF163900.jpg

MSF

Although effective vaccines exist, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, Whooping Cough, hepatitis B, measles, and certain forms of pneumonia and meningitis continue to kill children in CAR. The campaign organized by MSF is a "catch-up" campaign, children only receive vaccines they should have already received beforehand.

MSF163903.jpg

MSF

MSF also supports the National Vaccination Program, which is supposed to vaccinate all children following a predefined timetable. Unfortunately, difficulties of access, the failures of the health system, and the recent upsurge in violence have long interrupted the program.

MSF163904.jpg

MSF

Before the campaign, awareness sessions are organized in the villages to announce the vaccination, convince parents to bring their children, and explain possible side effects.

MSF163905.jpg

MSF

Receiving so many doses at the same time is tiring for a child’s body, and parents are informed of possible side effects, and paracetamol is distributed to them.

MSF163906.jpg

MSF

To reach as many people as possible, and address the issue of vaccination in a fun and non-threatening way, theatre troops and actors have been hired to perform sketches as part of MSF’s awareness campaign. The show parodies the conversations of adults in a household ... and the public seems to enjoy it!

MSF163907.jpg

MSF

The day of the vaccination in Berberati, it seems that awareness has paid off. Center attendance is very high, and in five days, 14,000 children have been vaccinated.

MSF163909.jpg

MSF

Some vaccines must be taken orally.

MSF163908.jpg

MSF

Other vaccines are intramuscular. Injections are unpleasant for children all over the world.

MSF163910.jpg

MSF

In general, a bit of comfort is enough to make them forget the ordeal.

MSF163911.jpg

MSF

During this campaign, the teams have also taken the opportunity to screen all children for malnutrition. Detection is done by measuring the circumference of the upper arm.

MSF163912.jpg

MSF

Vaccination is carried out in three rounds, as some vaccines should be taken in multiple doses. Vaccination cards allow for a monitoring of the immunization coverage of children. Around Berberati, the campaign has mobilized 370 people and committed significant financial and logistical resources.

MSF163913.jpg

MSF

To avoid families having to travel long distances, the campaign was held in over 40 different sites in the city of Berberati and its suburbs. This site is in the Muslim quarter of Potopoto, which had been ransacked during the crisis.

MSF163914.jpg

MSF

Respecting the cold chain is a challenge when the outside temperature is around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The vaccine doses are placed in coolers on motorcycles to be sent to the vaccination sites.

MSF163915.jpg

MSF

MSF has been present in Berberati since 2014, when the city was affected by violence, to help support the hospital with the influx of wounded. Since then, MSF teams have been working in the general pediatric unit, as well as the nutrition, maternity, and neonatology units. MSF also helps with treatment of sexual violence victims at the University Hospital.

March 24, 2016

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is in the process of conducting a vaccination campaign of an unprecedented scale in the Central African Republic (CAR). According to official statistics from 2013, around one in every 10 infants under the age of one has not been fully vaccinated. MSF teams have already vaccinated more than 73,000 children.