By: Audrey Raymonda John
There has been a widespread notion and misinformation before the commencement of the rollout campaign of the HPV vaccine, that the vaccine could prevent girls from bearing children. With this perception in their minds, parents of the Ahmadiyya Primary School, Gbinleh Chiefdom Kambia District attacked and threw stones at the vaccination team upon their arrival to vaccinate school children. As a leading NGO in community engagements, FOCUS 1000 and the Kombra Network engaged the parents and stakeholders of the community to provide a clearer explanation of the vaccination exercise.
The meeting which was held at the School Compound attracted parents, chiefs, youths, and school authorities. In his welcome address the Town Chief of Salatoke, Kambia District, Mr. Nbaimba Turay expressed dismay over the actions of the parents, saying that there are channels to contact should they have questions or clarifications about the vaccination progress.
Isatu Kamara is the Coordinator for FOCUS 1000 in Kambia she said that cervical cancer is a leading cause of death not only in Sierra Leone but the world over which is why the government and partners are ensuring that children are prevented from this illness. “The vaccine is not a curative measure but to prevent children who are yet to start sex, because the key mode of transmission of cervical cancer is through sex”. She said.
She called on the parents to allow their children to be vaccinated which will prevent them from cervical cancer.
After the meeting, the parents gave their consent to get their children vaccinated and thanked FOCUS 1000 for their intervention.
