Music promotes immunization in Liberia's most populous County
Music is being used to raise awareness and increase immunization
The Government of Liberia and UNICEF are using music to promote routine immunization in Montserrado County, Liberia’s most populous. In addition to music being used in Montserrado County, community engagement, social mobilization and radio are also utilized to promote immunization across Liberia.
The volume is turned up high and large speakers throb out a catchy beat – just the way people like their music in Liberia.
Dozens of people dance in a small dirt clearing in Douala market, one of Liberia’s largest, where traders pushing wheelbarrows jostle with people rushing around to purchase goods or catch a commercial taxi to destinations across the country.
Amidst the crowd, one of Liberia’s top musicians, Michael Davis, popularly known as "Sundaygar Dearboy", is swinging to the beat as he sings about the importance of immunizing children.
A group of specially trained dancers accompany the singer, indicating how routine vaccines are administered, pointing at their mouths to indicate oral vaccines, or arms and thighs when he sings about injectable vaccines.
This is one of several community engagement projects taking place across the County. The UNICEF supported ‘Montserrado County Coverage of Immunization (MCCI) project’ seeks to increase immunization coverage and reduce the number of children at risk from vaccine preventable diseases. This is being done through the provision of immunization services at all public and private health facilities, as well as through extended hours and on weekends so parents and caregivers working in markets can take their children to receive their vaccinations after they finish work. A ‘community defaulters tracking initiative’ helps track children who have not received all vaccines, and outreach is undertaken to ensure their parents are aware of the need to take their children for vaccinations.
According to the 2017 WHO-UNICEF Estimates of Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) report, 13 per cent (21,797) of children in Liberia missed the Measles vaccine, the last vaccine in the immunization schedule for children to be declared fully immunized. More than one third of children (8,629) who missed the measles vaccine in Liberia were from Montserrado County.
In the clearing, the music gradually fades out as Precious Tarnue from the Montserrado County Health Team takes over the mike and talks to those gathered about the importance of immunization, and the need to ensure every child is vaccinated against vaccine preventable diseases.
“My own children received all routine vaccines, and are now safe from common childhood diseases,” she says. “All children of the country need to be protected from vaccine preventable diseases.”
Given the opportunity to ask questions, a number of people come forward to ask about the frequency of vaccinating children, their fears of children getting disease from the vaccines, the incidence of children having elevated temperatures after taking the vaccines, and where to access immunization services. A significant number of those asking questions are women, most of them mothers with children in their arms.
The County Health Team officials answer each question, explaining how children should be vaccinated five times before they are one year old and receive subsequent vaccinations during campaigns, how increased temperature was a normal reaction and that there was no need to worry, and that it was extremely rare for children to get any disease from vaccines. They also tell people which health facilities were close to the market area that they could take their children to for vaccination.
This process is repeated in seven popular markets across the County, reaching thousands of people, including those waiting for long-distance taxis who will take the message to their communities across Liberia. The main objective is to disseminate key immunization messages, respond to questions, refute rumours, and encourage immunization of all children.
“I had no idea about the diseases that can be prevented by vaccinating a child,” says first time mother, 26 year-old Siah M. “I now know why it is important, and will take my child for vaccinations.”
The urban immunization and awareness project is being implemented in 121 facilities and 7 open markets in Montserrado County.
To support the project, UNICEF funds the training of 120 vaccinators and outreach efforts, provides community registers for defaulter tracking and works with the Ministry of Health to ensure facilities have the required vaccines.
“It is the first time I got a lot of information on the schedule, type of vaccine and the number of visits for a child to be fully immunized. I will take this message to my family and neighbours, and make sure my child is immunized” says Lassana Swaray, a father of an eight-month-old child.
The project is supported by Alwaleed Philanthropies.
---------------------
Each year, UNICEF procures and ships in close to 3 million doses of traditional routine vaccines and supplies and 2.8 million doses of GAVI supported vaccines, and supports awareness and immunization campaigns, training of health workers and maintenance of the cold-chain system.
