Taking the vaccines to children in hard-to-reach communities of Zeila District

Zeila, Somaliland, November 2018 - It took us 12 hours to navigate the rough, mountainous terrain and desert sands on the journey from Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital, to the ancient town of Zeila, capital of the district of the same name, located on Djibouti’s border.

Our mission was to extend the nationwide measles vaccination campaign to Zeila district, which included numerous hard-to-reach-locations that were our priority destinations. At that time, March 2018, Somaliland had registered 1102 suspected cases of measles with anecdotal reports of serious clinical complications and even death.

Our team comprised of four people - three health workers who mobilize communities, administer vaccinations and keep records, and I providing technical support in community mobilization.

We moved from one community to another, mobilizing caregivers and vaccinating all children from nine months to nine years of age against measles. In Zeila town, we came across 60 women with children under nine years of age who were crossing from Djibouti. Since these children had no vaccination records, we referred them to a nearby health centre to for the children to get registered first then measles vaccination and other routine vaccinations.

Women and children of Zeila met by an outreach team of health workers and UNICEF staff during the National Immunization Days again measles back in March 2018.

Among the families reached in the campaign was that of Amako Adan, 32, whose six children were all under the age of 10. As she patiently waited in our vaccination queue, she told me that because there was no public transport available, it would take her and her children three hours to walk to the nearest health facility. That’s why she was determined to make sure her children were covered in this national vaccination campaign.

“I have no option but to wait for my turn as long as it takes. The next health facility is 40 kilometers away. It means we have to walk and carry water by ourselves and the children will get so tired,” she stated.

Ms. Adan’s experience illustrated that of so many in Somaliland: without national immunization days (NIDs) like this, many children would go without all the childhood vaccines required to protect them from vaccine-preventable diseases.

By the end of four-day national measles campaign, more than 357,000 children had been vaccinated against measles and no refusals were recorded in any communities. It was clear that the efforts put together by the Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF were appreciated by communities and government alike.

“I would like to thank the Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF for organizing this huge campaign,” said President Muse Bihi Abdi during the launching ceremony of the National Immunization Days back in March 2018.

“I would like to remind all of us that responsibility for children falls on us, as parents or guardians and government officials, traditional and religious leaders. We need to play our part in ensuring children are vaccinated against measles, which is a deadly disease,” the President added.

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