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Togolese Families Flood Measles Vaccination Sites
Written by
Lesly C. Hallman
, Staff Writer and Photographer, RedCross.org
Thursday, December 16, 2004 — Lomé, Togo—Pauline Apessidje stood beaming with her young daughter strapped to her back, proud to be one of the first parents in the country to have her child vaccinated for measles and polio in Togo’s first national integrated campaign to eliminate the childhood infectious diseases.
A young boy hugs his bednet after being vaccinated in Kpalimé, Togo.
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“I’m so happy because of this campaign. Now I know my kids won’t be killed by malaria,” said Apessidje, after picking up an insecticide-treated net to protect her children from mosquitoes carrying the virus. “I have four girls, and now all of them are vaccinated.”
On Monday, Dec. 13, dignitaries from across West Africa came to Togo for the formal launch of the country’s measles and malaria reduction campaign. Suzanne Aho, Togo’s Minister of Health, kicked off the campaign by administering vaccines to several children at the event. She even took time to show Apessidje how to correctly use the net to protect her daughters.
U.S. Ambassador to Togo Gregory Engle praised the turnout and the work supporting the campaign from across Africa and the world.
“The reception of this program has been so positive, and I’m excited to see the results and the model created for other African countries,” said Engle.
On Tuesday in the village of Kpalimé, at least three vaccination sites were open to serve the community. Kpalimé is the capital of the Plateau region in Togo, and nearly 19,000 vaccinations will take place here over the course of the campaign.
“I thought the high point of this campaign was when we witnessed the wonderful outpouring of support at the opening ceremony, but it was actually when we arrived at a vaccination center and saw a line of mothers wrapped around the courtyard,” said Gerry Jones, vice president of international services for the American Red Cross. “That’s what is really exciting about this campaign.”
In some parts of the country supplies of nets are already running low, but a sophisticated logistical system ensures that those areas will receive what they need to support the residents in their area, according to Minister of Health Aho.
Across the country, the Togolese Red Cross mobilized nearly 5,000 volunteers to staff clinics for the campaign. The volunteers are registering children for vaccinations and distributing nets, while nurses with UNICEF and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are handling the vaccinations.
Gagno Norbert Paniah, President of the Togolese Red Cross, is committed to not only successfully completing the campaign, but continuing to ensure that families and children stay safe from these diseases in the future.
“The biggest challenge will be the follow up, not the distribution, and the use of the nets afterwards,” said Paniah. “After this campaign we’ll work with the Minister of Health and the NGOs to make sure information is distributed to communities on how to take care of the nets.”
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