Efforts to Raise Awareness and Encourage Vaccination Among Families in Herat
Marzia Frotan
Herat, Afghanistan – Amid the growing threat of polio in Herat, awareness and encouragement campaigns conducted by health teams and mobilizers have significantly changed people’s negative attitudes toward the polio vaccine.
Health teams regularly travel to villages and remote areas to raise awareness about the benefits of the polio vaccine.
In the Shindand district of this province, 37-year-old Mohammad Akbar, a social mobilizer for the polio vaccination campaign, is one of the individuals’ educating families on the dangers of polio and the benefits of vaccination.
“Some families still refuse to vaccinate their children due to illiteracy and lack of awareness, but we engage with parents during every campaign and try to convince them to vaccinate their children,” he said.
“There are families who refuse to vaccinate their children. We have consulted with religious scholars and local leaders several times to persuade these families through them, but they remain staunch opponents of vaccination,” he added.
According to Akbar, in the past, many families had this stance, but the continuous efforts of health teams and mobilizers have succeeded in convincing many families to vaccinate their children in every campaign.
Amid the growing threat of polio in Herat, awareness and encouragement campaigns conducted by health teams and mobilizers have significantly changed people’s negative attitudes toward the polio vaccine © Polio Free Afghanistan/ 2024/ Marzia Frotan
Illiteracy and Misconception are the Main Obstacles
Health officials in Herat report that they have increased awareness programs to encourage families to vaccinate their children across both the city and districts of the province.
Dr. Ghulam Mohammad Hanafi Deputy Director of Public Health in Herat, said, “In addition to health teams, religious scholars, community leaders, teachers, and local council representatives also educate people about the benefits of the polio vaccine and the dangers of polio.”
He mentioned that public awareness activities are evaluated after each vaccination campaign. A survey conducted in August showed that nearly 50% of people in Herat’s districts are sufficiently informed about the polio vaccination program.
“Some people have little to no information about the polio vaccine. Our goal is to raise the level of awareness among these people” he added.
In the Shindand district and other high-risk areas, special health teams are active. During each campaign, alongside the vaccinators, around 40 health workers inform families about the benefits of the polio vaccine and the harms of the disease.
Some residents of Herat are urging the government and health authorities to mandate polio vaccination for children under the age of five © Polio Free Afghanistan/ 2024/ Marzia Frotan
A Call for an End to Refusal
Some residents of Herat are urging the government and health authorities to mandate polio vaccination for children under the age of five.
Ramin Ahmadi, a 29-year-old resident of Herat, says, “Parents who refuse to vaccinate their children must be convinced through various means because they are not only endangering their own children but also the lives of other children.”
“Refusing the polio vaccine has no logical justification. Children should not fall victim to parents’ negligence. If the vaccine were made mandatory, no one would dare refuse to vaccinate their children,” he added.
Some families continue to refuse vaccination even though polio cases have increased this year.
Doctors emphasize that this is a serious threat and that all children under the age of five must be vaccinated.
