In the just concluded Reactive Measles Vaccination Campaign in Kambia District, which started Saturday 19th January and ended on Friday 25th January, 2019 the Honorable Paramount Chief Member of Parliament, Bai Farma Tass Bubu Ngbak IV of Magbema Chiefdom in Kambia District exhibited leadership quality.
During the campaign, the Communication and Social Mobilization Team faced series of refusal cases in schools which would have hampered the whole Measles exercise, but with the prompt involvement of the Paramount Chief, who summoned a stakeholders’ meeting at the Court Barray he admonished Traditional Leaders and stakeholders of the benefits of the Measles Vaccination Campaign to their children and urged them to support the measles campaign so as to ensure compliance for smooth vaccination of the children in their respective communities.
While addressing chiefs and stakeholders, Chief Bai Farma admonished his colleague chiefs to mobilize their subjects and ensure that children within the ages of 6 months to 15 years are vaccinated. “If there is any reported case of refusal in any community or school without any action taken to address the situation, the Chief of that community will be held responsible,” Hon. P.C Bai Farma warned his colleague Chiefs.
Bai Farma recalled that they have developed Bye-Laws for their communities during the Ebola Period and that these laws are still applicable for all infectious diseases of which Measles is one of them.
He further stated the benefits of Measles Vaccination, noting that it prevents their children from blindness, deafness and other related illnesses .He continued by applauding the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and Partners for their efforts in ensuring that their children are vaccinated not only for measles but also other preventable childhood diseases.
In another development, the Communication and Social Mobilization Team in Kambia District also faced a scenario where the authorities of a privately owned preparatory school prevented eligible children of the school to be vaccinated on the grounds that their parents had asked them not to allow their children to be vaccinated.
When the team reported the issue to P.C. Bai Farma, he immediately summoned the school authorities and arranged for the children to be vaccinated on Wednesday 23rd January, which was eventually done.
The refusal issue in Kambia Town is one of many refusal cases that were addressed by the Communication and Social Mobilization Team with support from the Chiefs and Stakeholders. The main reason for these refusals is the fact that the fear of Ebola (Ebolaphobia) still lingers in the minds of people not only in Kambia but the country as a whole.
Parents/Caregivers still hide/ send their children to nearby bushes upon arrival of health workers in communities to vaccinate their children, but this was swiftly and amicably addressed by the Communication and Social Mobilization Team on the ground.
