From Fear to Protection: A Father’s Decision to Protect his Children with Immunization

Choma District, Zambia, April 2026 – Fred Phiri lives with his wife Brenda Manzi and their two children—Jolwe, aged 4 years, and Lackson, aged 9 months— in Mwapona compound in Choma, Zambia. Theirs is a close-knit community, where the houses are built close together, but boast neat vegetable gardens. 

In April 2026, when a polio vaccination team visited their house to immunize the children against polio, as part of the polio campaign held in six provinces in Zambia, they at first faced some resistance. During that first visit, Brenda refused to get her children vaccinated against polio. But on a follow-up visit by the vaccination team, when only Fred was present, he accepted the vaccinations for the children. When Brenda returned home, Fred shared details about the vaccination team’s visit, and Brenda disclosed to Fred that the children had not received any routine, life-saving vaccinations, such as Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) or measles, at all (what we call, in public health, ''zero-dose children''). Their oldest boy, Jolwe, had only received one dose of BCG at birth.

Fred was surprised by this, wondering why his wife, who is the children’s primary caregiver, would not allow the children to receive these critical prevention measures.  “I was fearful, I thought something terrible would happen to my children,” said Brenda, explaining why she hesitated to accept the use of vaccines.

Brenda shared that she’d heard many stories of children in Lusaka being negatively affected after receiving their immunizations. These rumours continually discouraged her from taking her children for immunization. The couple then engaged in a long conversation about the health of the children and the fears she had. Eventually, Fred was able to help her overcome these concerns, and when a Community-Based Volunteer (CBV) called to ask if Brenda would bring the children to the clinic for routine immunizations, Brenda assured her they would come the following week.

Because of the ongoing polio campaign, a vaccination team from Mwapona Health Post comprising a health worker and two CBVs, returned to the house shortly after. They were well-received by the family this time, and Brenda and Fred agreed that the children should receive all their outstanding vaccinations directly from their home.  

Jolwe received Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis - DPT1, DPT2, and DPT3 and Lackson received BCG and DPT1. Brenda was also counseled about the mild side effects of slight fevers that the children might experience after the injections to allay any fears that the vaccinations would cause any real harm to her sons. Both boys are now up to date with their vaccines and will continue receiving the scheduled vaccinations at the nearby health facility. 

Trust is a key virtue for CBVs and the communities they serve. Thanks to Fred’s involvement in his children’s care, trust, and the good and continuous communication between community healthcare workers and the families, the entire family turned out to be fully protected against key preventable diseases. Having an approachable vaccination team speak to the family helped them receive the vaccinations during the polio campaign and accept more vaccinations to fully protect their children. 

Brenda and Fred were very happy with the outcome of the polio vaccination campaign. “We are all here together. We haven’t been locked up, no-one is upset, and the children are safe,” said Fred, as his two sons played quietly in the yard.

The first round of the sub‑national polio campaign was led by the Ministry of Health Zambia, with support from Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners, including WHO and UNICEF Zambia, Rotary International, and the generous financial support of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In its first phase, the campaign targeted six provinces across the country, including Southern Province—where Brenda, Fred, and their children live—reaching more than 3.7 million children and bringing Zambia one step closer to a future where every child is fully immunized and protected against preventable diseases like poli