In May 2014, African leaders pledged to prioritise sustainable investment in immunisation programmes for healthy futures of children and their families.
The Immunise Africa 2020 leaders‘ declaration, launched in Abuja in Nigeria, recognises the importance of vaccines to give children a healthy start in life as child death rates continue to decline on the continent.
“Immunisation is one of the most important investments we are making in our children and in their future,” said President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana during the African Union meeting in Abuja, Nigeria.
Routine and emergency immunisation is part of the early childhood investments to ensure that children are fully protected from potentially fatal diseases that could be prevented by a simple vaccine.
Despite the long-term benefits in preventing life-threatening diseases, myths about vaccines persist in Malawi.
Just 78 percent of children below five in Mchinji District are vaccinated. This is below the 85 to 90 percent threshold recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Health authorities say widespread myths and misconception hinder efforts to ensure every child is vaccinated.
The myths and misconceptions slow the national push for universal immunisation, including children who grow up with zero or a selected vaccine doses.
Slightly over a third of about 684 000 people in the western border district live in remote areas where healthcare facilities are far apart, denying children access to life-saving services, including vaccine.
Mchinji district health promotion officer Owen Chataika says the long travels to health facilities and deep-rooted traditional and religious beliefs compel some rural communities to shy away from vaccines.
He states: “Out of 684 764 people in Mchinji, 215 000 live in hard-to-reach areas with limited access to health services and many are hesitant to receive vaccines because they believe that immunisation is harmful or unnecessary.”
Healthcare workers and community care leaders are collaborating to combat vaccine hesitancy and protect vulnerable populations.
Tadala Mother Care Group is front and centre in the community-led initiative to ramp up the demand and uptake for vaccine in Tsamphale and surrounding villages in Tradional Authority (T/A) Mlonyeni.
The group, formed in 2019, goes door to door, village to village to share accurate information on the importance of vaccine in reducing child death rates and guaranteeing everyone a healthy future.
“Since the group started in 2019, we have seen a significant increase in the number of children receiving vaccines and a reduction in child deaths,” says Tadala Care Group chairperson Scholastica Banda.
The concerned mothers have become foot soldiers in combating myths, misconceptions and misinformation about vaccines, including unfounded fears of infertility.
The door-to-door visits mostly target homesteads with pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children aged below five.
“To combat the common myths, we engage the target households early and hold public meetings to give accurate information and take questions from community members,” says Banda.
They also encourage men to take their children for vaccination, a monthly chore mostly left to women.
Traditional leaders such as group village head Chiute, born Frank Kalembera, are leading by example in changing attitudes towards vaccination.
He explains: “Some elders say: l have never been vaccinated but see I’m old now.’ We are changing this. Many village heads have by-laws that impose fines on parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. We want every child to be vaccinated regardless of cultural or religious barriers.”
The care group was formed and trained with support from Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, through the Ministry of Health.
This is part of national efforts to strengthen vaccine delivery in areas with low uptake, including Mchinji, Kasungu and Mzimba.
Apart from Mchinji, other districts such as Likoma and Dowa also have a high population of under-immunised and zero-dose children.
“While immunisation coverage is generally high, the presence of zero-dose and under immunised children poses a serious public health risk. These children are at risk of contracting and spreading diseases that can be prevented through vaccination,” says Dr Kondwani Mamba, deputy director of community and promotive health.
Mamba backs the rising calls to tackle cultural barriers that slow access to healthcare services, including vaccines.
The Ministry of Health is working in collaboration with the WHO, Path and Gavi to expand access to vaccine nationwide.
New vaccines and local health campaigns are expected to improve coverage, with Chataika expressing confidence that the district will reach 85-90 percent coverage by next year.
Despite the prevailing setbacks, Mchinji is making progress in addressing logistical challenges, countering myths and fostering health workers’ collaboration with traditional leaders and other stakeholders to attain universal immunisation.
“Immunisation is a community effort,” says Kalembera. “We must work together to protect our children and secure their futures.”
