* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
I work in Nuristan, Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan and in one of the most volatile areas of one of the most volatile countries in the world. Every day I face obstacles from the security situation and the lack of infrastructure in this remote region, like the almost non-existent road network. But sometimes the greatest challenge is much more human and personal, like a mother who is afraid to let me vaccinate her child.
An outbreak of measles was reported in a small village in the Paroon district of Nuristan. The highly infectious illness is painful and particularly dangerous for younger children. While older and healthy children usually recover after a few days, smaller and malnourished children can easily die. Every death by measles is a tragedy because it can be easily prevented with a simple vaccination.
As soon as International Medical Corps heard about the outbreak we immediately sent a team of doctors and nurses with all the medicine, vaccines and other kit they need to control the outbreak. When our team arrived, we were told we could not vaccinate the children because the parents were afraid of the vaccine. I knew that these fears were not rational but my medical knowledge is no help when a mother won’t allow you to stick a needle in her child. It is times like this when our close connection to the community is all that can help us.
We identified the key areas in the community to work from, mosques, schools and Hujras (places in large houses where people gather).From here we began explaining the vaccination process, the advantages and what happens if they didn’t vaccinate their children. The mothers and fathers wanted the best for their children; they believed they were protecting them by stopping our vaccinations, so it wasn’t hard getting an audience to talk to.
Finally, after many hours of talking and many more cups of tea, we were allowed to begin vaccinating the children. The measles outbreak was contained, but just as crucially, we left a village better informed about vaccinations for the future.
This blog is anonymous because of local security concerns.
Since its inception nearly 30 years ago, International Medical Corps’ mission has been consistent: relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster and disease, by delivering vital health care services and sustainable development projects that focus on training.This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning devastated populations to self-reliance. For more information visit: www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org. Also see us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
