By Ibrahim Sorie Koroma
Senior Health Promotion Officer – HEP/MoH
In some communities across Sierra Leone, reaching a child with a life-saving vaccine is not as simple as walking to the nearest health facility. For some families, the health center may be many kilometers away. Others live in scattered settlements that are difficult to reach, particularly during the rainy season. Some children may never have been registered in the routine immunization system at all. These are the children at the heart of Sierra Leone’s 300 Days Activism efforts to find and vaccinate zero-dose children, children who have never received a single routine vaccine dose. However, halfway through the 300-day campaign, there is encouraging news. 7,117 of the targeted 9,006 zero-dose children have now been located and vaccinated, representing 79% of the national target.
Behind this percentage are thousands of children who are now better protected against vaccine-preventable diseases. The work is not finished yet as1,889 children still need to be found and vaccinated, which could be likely achieved in the second half of the 300 Days Activism (150). Reaching the remaining zero dose children, the Ministry of Health with support from its partners has optimized efforts ensuring that every eligible child is reach and protected against vaccines preventable Diseases.
Going beyond the health facilityfinding these children requires health workers and communities to go beyond the traditional approach of waiting for families to come to health facilities.Community Health Workers, vaccinators, community leaders and other local structures have also been pivotal in identifying eligible children who may have been missed by the routine system.
Making the difference with health information, health facility records and micro-planning data are being utilized by community health workers and outreach teamsto track and trace zero dose children in settlements and communities where children are less likely to have been reached by routine services.
Despite the provision of life saving vaccines in hard to reach areas, communities are showing what is possible, particularly in Falaba, Karene and Western Area Rural, where the number of zero-dose children vaccinated has exceeded the original targets by 464, 262 and 141 children, respectively. This is a positive sign that outreach efforts are reaching children who may have been previously missed.
Despite the gains, the figures are prompting health authorities to look more closely at the data. Exceeding a target may indicate that outreach teams have successfully identified children in previously unmapped settlements. It could also reflect population movement, children coming from neighboring catchment areas or initial estimates that were too low.
Everychild matters, the numbers tell an important story, but the real impact is measured in lives. Programme analysis estimates that the intervention has contributed to approximately 592 lives saved to date, including mothers and children.
For families, however, these numbers are more than statistics as they represent children who can grow, learn and play with greater protection from vaccine-preventable diseases. They represent mothers and caregivers who can have greater confidence that their children are receiving essential protection.
At the halfway point of the 300 Days Activism campaign, Sierra Leone has demonstrated that when communities, health workers and the health system work together, children who were previously invisible to the routine system can be found and reached. With 79% of the target already achieved, the remaining 1,889 zero-dose children are a reminder that the mission is not yet complete. The next 150 days will require renewed commitment, stronger community engagement, and continued outreach as the MoH and partners are more than energized to achieve more positive health outcomes in the second half of the 300 Days Activism.