By Stanley Okafor
Cultural, religious and low level of education are some of the factors affecting immunisation in rural communities in Ekiti State.
Some stakeholders said this in Ado-Ekiti, at the inauguration of a committee saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that those negatively disposed to vaccine immunisation are educated on the essence.
Executive Secretary, Ekiti State Primary Health-Care Development Agency, PHCDA, Dr Rasheed Adepoju,while shedding light, said the inauguration was to address the problem for effective immunisation in the state.
He explained that the Biodun Oyebanji-led administration has provided vaccines to take care of particularly the women and children in the communities, adding that there are health workers capable and willing to go to the communities to vaccinate them against the diseases affecting them, but these locals are always negatively disposed to submitting themselves because of one belief or another.
According to him”, we are here today to inaugurate the committee that will be resolving rejection, non-compliance in the communities. We want to ensure that everybody in the communities takes the vaccine. It is safe, it is reliable and it is free. It prevents diseases for children and women in the communities”.
He said the vaccines are for children 0-5 years, adolescent girls of nine years and
women.
Chairman, PHCDA, Mrs Funke Ogunbunmi, attributed the non-compliance attitude of children and women to poor education, cultural, religious and other beliefs. She said the inaugurated committee will address the difficulties encountered in the communities.
There were goodwill messages from the WHO, UNICEF, NPHCDA, GIRL EFFECT and allied bodies.
The event drew health educators from the sixteen local government areas of the state, religious leaders, media, academics, market women/men, trade unions and others.
-It is expected to reduce vaccine hesitancy and misinformation through proactive community engagement, education and dialogue;
-To improve health seeking behaviours and vaccine uptake by addressing misconception, rumours and fears through community and behavioural change;
-To engage and involve other ethnic groups and migrants population living in Ekiti state in the health programme in the through inclusive strategies to ensure that no one is left behind, among other objectives.
