Sierra Leone: After she and her daughter had benefitted from different vaccines, Isata Demby, a mother of three, told Awoko newspaper that the vaccines are keeping her babies alive.
Demby made this statement during the antenatal session at the Moyamba District Hospital where she and hundreds of mothers converged for their babies to be vaccinated.
Demby furthered that she and her three kids have been taking the vaccines for a couple of years now, adding that the vaccines are helpful in ensuring that her kids do not contract polio, pneumonia, measles, among other diseases.
Adamsay Kamara, a mother of one, disclosed that she gave birth to her child through a traditional birth attendant, but went back to the hospital for her child to benefit from the vaccines, she also believes will be helpful to her child’s life.
“I hadn’t any fear to bring my child to the hospital for vaccination, for my mom had already told me the importance of the vaccines, and had also indicated to me that she took all of those vaccines when she gave birth to me and during the time she was pregnant,” Kamara told Awoko.
The vaccines, procured by the United Nations International Emergency Fund (UNICEF), were handed over to government for distribution across the country.
Moyamba District Operations Officer, Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), David Swaray, said the district engages in robust immunisation exercises that have prevented the children from various diseases such as tuberculosis, polio, measles, yellow fever, rota, haemophilic influenza, etc.
“In this circumstance, we administer the following vaccines: measles vaccine, pneumonia vaccine, yellow fever, diphtheria, rota vaccine, among others.”
He said the targeted age for immunisation is 0 to 11 months for infants, adding that within a year, a child must have taken all the antigens. He continued that the dosage depends on the target for which vaccines are being administered. “For this vaccination exercise, we are targeting 432,152 to administer these vaccines,” he disclosed.
Swaray spoke highly on the relevance of these vaccines, for according to him, the vaccines prevent the various ailments highlighted above, noting that these vaccines only prevent children from contracting them; not to cure them.
He also spoke of awareness-raising and health talks among residents of Moyamba, which he said has helped restore confidence in the people to come out and take the vaccines.
Upon reaching the store the vaccines are housed in, Awoko newspaper observed that it had nine refrigerators as well as electricity supply from solar panels on the storehouse’s rooftop.
Swaray said the solar panels provide 24 hour electricity for the storehouse, and as such, upkeep the vaccines.
Aminata Hannah Sillah, a midwife at the Moyamba Community Health Centre, said both mothers and kids have been benefitting from the immunisation exercise.
She said the first marklate they administer to new born babies is the BCG marklate, which she said prevents them from tuberculosis, adding that the second is administered when a child turns six weeks, and that prevents the kid from pneumonia, while the other marklate is administered when a child turns 10 weeks, and is most useful in preventing pneumonia as well.
She continued that when a child turns six months, they no longer give that child injectable, but rather Vitamin A capsules which prevent kids from diarrhoea and blindness.
At week 14, she said the child will be given another vaccine known as rota, which prevents kids from whooping cough. “We will also administer measles and yellow fever vaccines at month 9; and then at age 1 year, the kid will be given worm tablets,” she further explained.
She added that the mothers also benefit from tetanus vaccines administered to them when the pregnancy is at 16 weeks, which she said protect them and their kids. Nurse Sillah said they have never at any point in time run short of these vaccines, noting that they are always in large supplies.
However, she said the hospital remains challenged with some of the women going to birth attendants and then finding it difficult to come to the hospitals for immunisation.
“One of our neighbours has refused to come to the hospital after she attributed her previous son’s death to the marklate. But she is wrong. As a matter of fact, the marklate helps keep babies alive,” she opined.
Nurse Sillah spoke of the appalling condition of some of her staff whom she said are yet to be included on government’s payroll, and as such have not been receiving salary in spite of what she described as the tedious work they perform.
“Sometimes we deduct from our salaries and provide stipends to them as a way of motivating them,” she revealed.
SKS/19/04/2021