By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
As the April round of Immunization Plus Days enters its second day in Bauchi State, household heads and service providers have attributed the impressive vaccine acceptance by caregivers to the ongoing mobilization drive being carried out by community resource groups (CRGs).
Our correspondent, who was at Dindima and Tudun Gambo settlements in Galambi Ward of Bauchi Local Government Area (LGA) of Bauchi State, observed from the Tally Sheets of some of the House to House (H2H) Teams an impressive coverage of households with little or no rejection of the vaccine by the caregivers.
A cursory look at the tally sheet of team 157 in Dindima settlement at about 10:48 am, revealed that 137 children were immunized with only 2 children missed because they have gone to Islamiya School. The house was duly marked for a revisit by the team supervisor Jibrin Abubakar.
Narrating her experience of the ongoing April campaign, house to house team 146 supervisor in Tudun Gambo settlement, Lubabatu Hashimu said that, she noticed significant improvement in vaccines acceptance in the April round. The supervisor also said that the Two Days DoPV before the commencement of the house to house has given the teams an opportunity to vaccinate a greater number of the children.
Asked whether she had a non compliance case as of day two of the campaign, the team supervisor said that there was a case of one house with 3 children, but that the case was before the community leaders of Tudum Gambo and there was the prospect of resolving it.
Lubabatu attributed most of the successes being recorded in the April round of IPDs to mobilization efforts of Volunteer Community Mobilizers (VCMs) that were consistently moving from house to house to create demand for the Immunization.
On how to further strengthen immunization uptake, a household head, Mallam Adamu Abdullahi stressed on motivating Community Resource Groups by improving their stipends. He further emphasized on the need for community leaders to share what is working well or not in addressing non compliance.
“When a community shares how they were able to resolve non compliance, other communities can draw lessons and apply the same good practice in their settlements too”, Mallam Abdullahi proffered.
While commenting on the assessment of the IPDs on Day 2 of implementation, the Bauchi Local Government Immunization Officer (LIO), Mohammed Abba commended UNICEF BFO for deploying Community Mobilizers to create demand for the Immunization Campaign.
“As you have witnessed here in Dindima and Tudun Gambo settlements, the number of houses covered was quite impressive. This successes were the collective efforts of partners like UNICEF, WHO, AFENET and others that are supporting Bauchi LGA and the State at large in the implementation of the April IPDs.
“I am optimistic that Bauchi LGA will meet its target in coverage at the end of the exercise by the will of Allah”, said the LIO.
Recall that since last month, UNICEF Bauchi Field office (BFO) under the leadership of Bauchi Chief of Field office Dr. Nuzhat Rafique and her team, have been going round soliciting the support of high level traditional institutions, community /religious leaders and other key non State actors towards the success of the April IPDs campaign aimed at reaching all eligible children in Bauchi State.