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Wednesday March 13, 2024
By Jamal Abdi Sarman
Takeling vaccine myths in Somaliland
Anab, a polio vaccinator moving door-to-door. UNICEF Somalia/Sarman
Anab Muse is among the polio community mobilisers in Somaliland creating awareness among local communities and ensuring every child within the targeted age group receives the vital polio vaccine drops.
“In the past several years, there have been people who thought polio is non-existent, despite the existence of polio immunization and awareness. Other reasons that led to some caregivers refusing the vaccine for their child were attributed to myth or misinformation,” Anab said.
Despite the misconception and resistance Anab came across while undertaking her duties, she and her team continued with their efforts to create awareness among the local communities. “Some families refused vaccination, but we were relentless in our efforts and the polio campaign has been successful. In time, families are becoming more aware of and informed on the importance of vaccinating their children against polio,” she added.
Taking a wider view, the community mobilisers emerged as trusted community figures, utilizing their local knowledge and relationships to provide essential services, support and care. In addition, they leveraged the mass media and use of local influencers like traditional leaders and door-to-door visits that aided and reinforced the dissemination of crucial information.
.Among the families targeted by the mobilisers was Hamda Abdi, a twenty-six-year-old mother of three who lives in one of the lower-income areas of Berbera. “I’m a mother of three. My eldest, Safa, is seven years old. I was late in vaccinating her against polio because I didn’t believe in its existence. Luckily, she was not afflicted by the disease. I came across mobilisers doing an awareness campaign on several occasions and I eventually changed my mind after speaking with one of them. My last-born, Mohamed, who is one year old, received his first dose when he was forty days old,” she explained.
According to Abdirahman Suleiman, the Berbera District Social Mobilization Coordinator, the refusal rate in the Berbera district was around eight families during the latest campaign. He attributed it to several reasons. “During our community engagement sessions, we try to first understand the genesis of the few refusal cases we came across in Berbera district. We’ve noted some people question the repetitive nature of the campaign or the provision of additional doses for children under five years of age. We explained to the families that this is not harmful. In areas where there is misinformation or myths we also use and deploy local influences, like an Imam and traditional leaders, who help combat the myth with truth and reinforce factual messaging,” he stated.
The wider Sahil region recorded ninety-five per cent of the people accepting the polio vaccines during the latest campaign, while the Berbera district registered ninety-eight per cent among the targeted age group.
Recognizing the significance of an informed populace for vaccination success, concerted efforts were made with all stakeholders to mobilize and educate communities. Social mobilizers, from national to decentralized levels, played a pivotal role in widespread awareness, complementing technical preparations for an effective campaign.
Somalia is facing one of the longest-running outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2. Since the outbreak began in 2017, the virus has paralyzed 32 children. Ending this outbreak is a priority for partners, including the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), which includes UNICEF, WHO, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary International and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Over the years, Somalia has made substantial progress in polio eradication. The country stopped the transmission of wild poliovirus in 2013 and prevented its subsequent importations. However, outbreaks of other strains of poliovirus still pose a threat to unvaccinated children.
Somalia’s polio programme is foundational to the health care system of the country and is a critical asset for disease surveillance and primary health care. With an extensive network of over 149 national and sub-national polio health workers, present in every district across the country, the programme has provided immediate support to other outbreaks and public health emergencies.
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