Kasungu people welcome immunisation project

Communities in Kasungu District have commended the Malawi Health Equity Network (Mhen) for implementing a Health System and Immunisation Project to scale up the uptake of vaccination among under-five children in the district.

The project established mother care groups to sensitise communities to the importance of getting children vaccinated to enhance their immunity against diseases.

In an interview on Thursday, village head Kapyola of Traditional Authority (T/A) Njombwa said the project has encouraged his subjects to get their children vaccinated.

He said: “In the past, there were many cases of children defaulting vaccination because of parents’ negligence.

“Even men are taking part in taking the children for immunisation. It is an initiative that has helped us to have healthy children.”

Kapyola said the mother care group in his village also helped in constructing an under-five clinic and a house for a health surveillance assistant.

Lyness Maxwell, a community member in Kapyola Village, admitted that she was one of the women who shunned taking her children for immunisation.

Kaphaizi Mother Care Group leader Violet Chisima said they encourage parents and guardians to take their children for vaccination to reduce infant mortality.

Kasungu district extended programme on immunisation coordinator Joseph Chisime said the project has helped increase numbers of children accessing vaccines in the district’s hard-to-reach areas.

“The sensitisation campaigns have seen communities taking children to under-five clinics to be vaccinated,” he said.

In her part, Mhen project officer Kumbesi Gomile commended communities for embracing the project.

“The mother care groups have also helped in promoting access to quality health services by lobbying authorities to construct under-five clinics,” she said.

The project was introduced to promote access, quality and utilisation of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) being implemented by the Ministry of Health