In Yobe’s immunization campaigns, mothers relay mournful stories

Though leaving very close to the state capital, Hadiza had little contact with modernity especially when it comes to going to hospital to seek medical attention. “It was not in our culture to go to hospital…we believed it was sacrilege to do so,” she said. “My grandmother said all my children that died were ‘Ya’yan […]

Though leaving very close to the state capital, Hadiza had little contact with modernity especially when it comes to going to hospital to seek medical attention. “It was not in our culture to go to hospital…we believed it was sacrilege to do so,” she said.

“My grandmother said all my children that died were ‘Ya’yan Wabi’ (children not destined to live long).” the tall, dark complexioned lady who resisted several attempts by this reporter to take her photograph and that of Nura and Jume, her two surviving kids said.

She said her first daughter Jume senior died at the age of 15 months old and the second one Haru followed at the age of 13 months. “The third, Inusa and the fourth Rabe equally died before their first birthdays”, she narrated.

Hadiza said her two remaining children were still alive because they had been subjected to ‘Huji’ (several rounds of immunization) after relentless but fruitful pressure from authorities who visited her village from the state capital.

“They (immunization officers) deployed the services of our traditional leaders who convinced us that vaccination was not harmful but useful,” she said.

 “Before now, we had the impression that the vaccines led to infertility in children and we also thought it was a tactical strategy of forcing us to embrace compulsory family planning,” she added.

Hadiza’s predicament was not an isolated case because her contemporaries including Rabi (28), Saratu (24) and Ya Kanna (19) had variously lost their precious babies to avoidable child ailments.

“It is now all over because the attitude of the community towards accepting routine immunization has changed,” Rabi who lost two children in the last five years but was now breastfeeding 14 month old Aminu said.

“My son has received all the rounds of the immunization before he reached 10 month…he is very healthy and cheerful now,” she said.

Findings by our reporter shows that collaborative efforts between Yobe State government, traditional institutions, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and international development partners including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF as well as Partnership for Reviving Routine Immunization in Northern Nigeria and Maternal and Newborn Child Health (PRRINN/MNCH) had helped a lot in dispelling apathy, apprehension and fear among parents who for certain reasons including those mentioned above found it difficult to avail their children for the full dose of the vaccines.

As a mark of progress, last week, about 590,000 children were targeted for immunization against poliomyelitis, measles, diphtheria, whooping cough and hepatitis B in all the 17 local government areas of the state in the ongoing national immunization exercise.

Dr Isa Adamu, the WHO officer in the state said the apathy of receiving the drugs among parents had disappeared substantially because of the commitment of stakeholders who saw reason to reverse the trend in order to save the lives of children who were leaders of tomorrow.

Available statistics before the latest development was appalling. Records collated by PRRINN/MNCH indicate that immunization rates in Northern Nigeria and precisely in the north-east part of the country are some of the lowest in the world.   

Citing the 2003 National Immunization Schedule, the study showed that the percentage of fully immunized infants in Yobe State for instance was just 1.5% which made it the worst in the region.

 Observers said the result was mind bugling because thousands of children have died as victims of vaccine preventable diseases.

They observed several reasons for such for the predicament. Firstly, the primary health care services were hitherto highly ineffective and had deteriorated due to lack of investment in personnel, facilities and drugs, and because of poor management of the existing resources.

According to them, there was also the problem of confidence and trust by the public in the health services resulting from the poor state of facilities and low standards of delivery.

At the family and community level there was equally low demand for immunization due to a lack of understanding of its value.

The Project Manager of PRINN/MNCH in Yobe State, Doctor Erich Amnoch, said the agency had designed a human resource development policy for the state which resulted in tremendous improvement in the health care delivery services and immunization programmes.

He said with the support of the UK-Department for International Development (DFID) and the State Department of the Norwegian Government-Norway, there was positive improvement in maternal and child healthcare services in Yobe State.

Dr Erich said the agency collaborated with the NURTW which was now providing free transportation to women and children to get to health centres in order to get medical attention.

Known as Emergency Transport System (ETS), the agreement was reached after series of consultations between the NURTW, the state ministry of health, ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs and the ministry of women affairs

“The fact is that women felt there was the need for government and development partners to deploy a holistic approach to health issues because they felt immunizing the children alone without taking care of the health challenges of women would be an effort in futility,” Fatima Zanna, a nurse at the Sani Abacha Maternal and Child Health Care centre said.

She said that was what prompted governor Ibrahim Gaidam to introduce free maternal and child health in all hospitals in the state with monthly release of millions of naira for the purchase of drugs.

Similarly, the state government had taken delivery of assorted hospital equipment worth N217.32m as part of efforts to improve healthcare delivery services in all the 17 local government areas of the state.

The equipment includes those for cardiology, urology, dermatology, surgery, physiotherapy, ENT, ophthalmology, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, radiology and laboratory services, amongst others.

Doctor Isa Adamu, the representative of WHO in the state said the commitment of traditional rulers had spurred acceptability among parents especially mothers who visit medical centres in search of professional attention and immunization.

He particularly commended the Emir of Bade Alhaji Umar Suleiman for embarking on house-to-house campaign with the aim of encouraging parents to avail their children for routine immunization.

Dr Adamu said the emir had even gone the extra mile of taking a dose of polio vaccine at a village square in Bade in order to prove to some parents who are reluctant in forwarding their children for the immunization that the health initiative was safe and was meant to enhance the immunity of children.

“This is the first time an emir in Yobe State volunteered and went from house to house urging the people to patronise immunization, the feat of the emir had assisted us and he has promised to continue with the campaign,” Dr Adamu said.

He said some communities in Damaturu and Gujba Local Government areas who had refused to allow their children had now changed their minds and had fully embraced the exercise.

He cited, Murfa-Kalan, Babbar Tsangaya and Azaren Yobe as some of the communities that had before now refused to allow vaccinators have access to many children.

“We have received tremendous cooperation from parents and guardians who now present their children for immunization.” he said.

Dr Adamu explained that, traditional, opinion and religious leaders had embarked on rigorous sensitisation tour of their areas thereby convincing parents to send their wards for immunization.

“We have adequate vaccines and funds to pay the immunization officers.  The exercise is moving on smoothly without hitch,” Dr Adamu assured.

Another “carrot” which the vaccinators are using to entice parents and kids to accept vaccination exercise is the gift of sweets, soaps and detergents as soon as they visit health centres.

“The bonus is seriously working going by the turn out of parents and their children in immunization centres. I am sure more children will be immunized. I am equally sure we will surpass the estimated target which means less death of babies,” he said.