The figures have increased but health officials say much remains to be done. In 2004, only 48 per cent of babies were fully vaccinated. A study carried out between January and August 2011, revealed an increase of five per cent. In effect, performance has moved from 48 per cent in 2004 to 53 per cent in 2011. Officials in charge of vaccination say the battle is fierce and yet to be won as they intend to move to 90 per cent.
The Chief of Service for Sanitary Information in the Ministry of Public Health who doubles as the focal point for the preliminary findings of the health survey, Séverin Zinga, explained that the Far North, North and South Regions with low scores of 31, 38 and 35 per cents respectively, are characterised by prejudices against the effective vaccination of children. The North West and South West Regions with 83 and 75 per cents respectively stand out, though it remains indispensable for mothers to take routine and seasonal vaccination campaigns seriously.
But the raison d’être for this snail-paced adherence to vaccination remains the knot to crack. The ministry in the nearest future intends to unearth the myth, by possibly carrying out a monographic survey. But before this is done, health experts blame ignorance, illiteracy, customary and religious beliefs for the inability of the country to attain its desired target.
“As we map out strategies to better disseminate information and bring mothers to respond positively to routine and seasonal vaccination campaigns, it should be noted that traditional and religious barriers remain some of the hurdles,” explained the Permanent Secretary of the Enlarged Vaccination Programme (PEV), in the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Marie Kobela. While acknowledging that some mothers get discouraged when reprogrammed for vaccinations, she said the acquisition and use of some vaccination kits is complex and demanding. “There are kits that come with instructions that must be respected”, she stressed. Séverin Zinga further explained that after reaching out to 2,265 children (12 to 23 months) from 15,000 households, it was revealed that the rate of adherence to vaccination also depended on the level of education of mothers. The preliminary findings revealed that only 32 per cent of children were vaccinated by illiterate mothers, 52 per cent by mothers of elementary level, 66 per cent by those of secondary level and 74 per cent by mothers of higher level of education.
Notwithstanding, parents who know the importance of vaccinating children continue to answer the call. Meanwhile, efforts are being taken to make sure that good communication strategies are put in place to ensure that the country records a favourable mark in this domain.
