A Mom on a Mission
Why Trisheana Anderson Ensures Her Children are Immunized
As dawn breaks, the Rio Minho flows quietly through the landscape of the Clarendon parish, a silent witness to the start of a new day. The city of May Pen is slowly waking up, its streets are quietly getting ready to burst into the usual vital hub, animated by the daily chaos of colourful markets and a community where family ties run deep. From deep blues to gentle pinks, this new day marks the beginning of a mission for Trisheana Anderson, 34. Her face exudes resilient charm and warmth as she looks at her beautiful six-week-old baby, Azuri. Despite the long nights that often come with a newborn, Trisheana looks at her daughter's tiny, perfect hands and cannot help but smile. Today is their first postnatal clinic appointment.
May Pen, Trisheana’s hometown, is the capital of Clarendon, Jamaica’s third largest parish. The busy local health centre mirrors the steady commitment of the country in advancing public health through comprehensive immunization programs, aimed at safeguarding the well-being of all citizens, particularly children. Jamaica has an excellent record of childhood immunization and has made great strides under its Expanded Programme on Immunization, which was established in 1977.
Despite this accomplishment, the government is working to close some gaps in childhood immunization. Some children begin but do not complete their vaccinations in accordance with the schedule, particularly those delivered after the child is 18 months or older.
Trisheana is eager to have her baby seen at the clinic to ensure that she gets all her immunization shots according to the schedule provided by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, which covers 12 vaccine-preventable diseases including measles, mumps, diphtheria, polio, rubella, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough).
“It is very important to me for her to get her immunization shots because I know that it prevents her from catching diseases like tuberculosis and lock jaw (tetanus),” she explains.
For baby Azuri, starting her immunization journey breaks a dangerous tradition of non-vaccination in her family. Once unvaccinated herself, Trisheana is determined to ensure that her two older children and Azuri receive their full vaccinations.
“When I was young, I didn’t get most of my shots. I had to get them since I became an adult,” she reveals.
She remembers how uncomfortable she felt as a child, after experiencing the symptoms of what she suspected were measles and mumps, vaccine-preventable illnesses.
“As a young child, my mother wasn’t there, and I was moving from house to house. It was only when I was about to enter high school, when my sisters took me to be registered, that we realized I did not get my shots,” she recalls.
Health care workers are determined to close the gaps and reach the Health Ministry’s target of having 95% of the island’s children fully immunized. As part of the effort, public health nurses, who deliver immunization services, have been trained to operate upgraded cold chain equipment and improve management of vaccine supplies with support through UNICEF and the donation from the Canada Global Initiative for Vaccine Equity (CanGIVE). Thanks to the programme, the country’s vaccine delivery and distribution have been strengthened to build vaccine confidence. An important accomplishment that had a weight in tackling the COVID-19 emergency as well.
Trisheana’s unwavering commitment to take her baby and older children to the clinic to complete their immunization schedule speaks to the importance of this programme.
"Some parents just don’t have the knowledge; they don’t understand the importance of immunization," the young mother shares. "I get most of my knowledge from the health center. They give talks and sometimes hand out brochures. The Child Health Passport—a booklet issued at birth that records the child’s vaccinations—also provides a lot of information about which shots are given and when, and what they are for."
The CanGIVE initiative’s support is crucial to allow these personnel, systems and tools to help Jamaica perform even better in childhood immunization and help parents keep their children safe and healthy.
As Trisheana walks back through the streets of May Pen, with baby Azuri in her arms and her mission accomplished, she carries not just her vaccinated baby but the satisfaction of having broken the vicious cycle of non-vaccination in her family. She has now established a new legacy of health commitment for her family.
