On the road with Somaliland's dedicated Polio vaccinators
Long commutes and
cold box in hand, no place is too far away in the fight to end polio.
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| Polio vaccination team with their vehicle in the back |
Compared to the busy streets of
Hargeisa, Somaliland, just 20 kilometres outside of the city are broad
stretches of barren land—home to the nomads. Nomadism is part of
Somalia’s culture, and there are thousands of families throughout the country
who lead pastoral lifestyles, raising livestock and moving their animals and
families as the seasons change. Their frequent movement means that children are
not always nearby a health clinic to receive their scheduled vaccinations on
time. Such disruption or delay in receiving vaccines can result in low or no
protection against common childhood infections.
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| Vaccinator giving oral polio vaccination drops |
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| Nomadic community was targeted for polio vaccine reach |
If children are not immunized
against polio, they risk contracting the virus and developing paralysis. They
also risk passing polioviruses to other under-immunized children. But the polio
eradication teams are committed to reach every last child with polio vaccine
notwithstanding challenging terrains.
Look through the lives of polio
vaccinators in Somaliland on the third day of the vaccination campaign
activities as part of the larger efforts to reach over 1.1 million children
with the oral polio vaccine.
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