Measles campaigne 2012

Ok so life has been busy. I'm now a fully qualified Zambian Registered Nurse and last week I spent 3 days working along side a team of 2 zambian's a nurse and environmental student carrying out over 2500 vaccinations in children aged 6months to 15 years. In total the clinic vaccinated 25000 children against measles, de wormed and boosted with vitamin A. This is part of the World Health Millennium Development goals to reduce childhood illnesses and deaths.

The government health authority did a great job in the towns and villages surrounding Mpulungu however totally neglected the lake side communities in which we work. Next time there is a national campaigne we will take a full team each day into the villages to reach those the government does not care about.

The children were amazing, 5 year olds would bring there younger siblings alone with out parents. Most would calmly come and give their name and age and receive their vaccine. They were then given a card saying they had been vaccinated and also their finger coloured in. If these children return home with out this it is highly likely their parents will beat them.
In my tropical medicine training we were taught never to miss out on an opportunity to vaccinate a child. Well the zambian nurses were vaccinating children as we were driving off from the back of the truck(transport). Priceless.


Sent from my Blackberry® SmartPhone on MTN Zambia