Three Children Closer to a Polio-Free World

There was limited involvement of political leaders and limited hope that the situation would change.

But there has been change – remarkable change. Niger is experiencing a spectacular turnaround in its polio program. The health leadership in the state, including the Governor and the State Commissioner of Health, are actively involved and closely supervise immunization activities. Traditional and religious leaders are also getting personally involved. 

One morning, as we accompanied vaccination teams on immunization rounds, a team member reported that a man called Baba was refusing to bring his two young daughters and infant son for vaccination.   

When we arrived at his home, Baba complained that he had no clean water, while every few months children were given polio drops.  He was frustrated that the polio immunizations seemed to be prioritized over a serious health issue that clearly affected his family. The health workers told me that though the percentage of families refusing vaccination is dropping, this prioritization issue was common rationale for refusing immunizations.

In the past, the vaccination team would try to convince him to immunize his children using a general script on why polio vaccines are good for children. This approach didn’t work – fathers would typically hold firm in their position and the children wouldn’t be vaccinated. 

This time, things were different. When we got to Baba’s home, no fewer than ten community leaders had arrived to talk to him. These well-respected community members took personal time on a hot Sunday in April to ensure that every child in their community was vaccinated. 

The leaders spent 30 minutes discussing the situation with Baba and, most importantly, listened to his concerns. Baba showed them first-hand the poor quality of the water at the well his family uses. The leaders explained the importance of the polio vaccine and its ability to permanently protect Baba’s children from a horrible disease.  Afterwards, they invited him to the next district council meeting to speak about water quality issues.

Baba listened closely to the leaders’ reasoning and appreciated their recognition of his other health concerns for his family. Ultimately, he brought all of his children for vaccination that afternoon. I witnessed the world getting three children closer to a polio-free world thanks to efforts of those community leaders. 

I was impressed by how much can change in one year. During previous polio campaigns, 30 to 40 percent of children in Nigeria were missed. Today, swift action is taken at all levels of governance to ensure every Nigerian child receives the critical drops of polio vaccine to protect them for life.

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