“Elvis has for no reason ever been to the hospital. I am glad he can receive such lifesaving vaccines to remain strong.” Grandma Lucy beamed.
Elvis is a 3-year-old boy born through home delivery by a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) in Takwe, Menji Health Area. He lost his mum when he was nine months old and has since lived with his grandmother.
Little Elvis had not received a vaccine since birth due to the insecurity of the crisis in his communities, which scared inhabitants to seek medical care and medical personnel to conduct outreach activities in Menji before the coming of the R4S project in Fontem Health District.
Grandma Lucy also believed herbs could reinforce her grandson’s immunity. She was amazed to learn the comparative benefits of vaccinating a child and pleaded with the vaccination team never to skip her door again. Her acceptance began a journey to protect Elvis from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Despite the security situation in Takwe and most parts of the Fontem health district, the R4S vaccination cluster team has followed up to ensure that Elvis was fully immunised per the EPI catch-up immunisation calendar.