Dr Vivian Magnus’ Post

Henry Mwebesa and Patrick Amoth experts in the Ministry of Health in Uganda and Kenya, reflect on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic pertaining to vaccine access. Follow the link to read about African perspectives on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic about vaccine procurement: https://ow.ly/vLTQ50R3uSe #SGShealth #PublicHealth #GlobalHealth #VaccineAccess #AfricanPerspectives #HealthExperts

Worldwide more than 20 million children have either never received a single dose of any vaccine or are under-immunized. This leaves them at grave risk of preventable illness or death. 40% of these children are concentrated in fragile contexts and often live beyond the reach of health systems and other key government services. Since 2022, the IRC and local partners have aimed to reach more than 1 million children across East Africa in need of immunizations. To date we have distributed more than one million doses in communities beyond the reach of established healthcare systems across Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. These efforts yielded valuable lessons around what worked, what didn’t and how the world can reach more children with vaccination and other essential healthcare. To learn more about these efforts and lessons learned, please read this press release: https://shorturl.at/izV19

Free medical outreach is vital for low-income communities in Nigeria. It provides essential healthcare services that many residents cannot afford, including general check-ups, vaccinations, maternal and child health services, and treatment for common illnesses. These outreach programs often include health education sessions that teach residents about preventive measures, proper nutrition, and the importance of hygiene, which can help reduce the prevalence of diseases. By bringing healthcare services directly to these communities, medical outreaches bridge the gap between the population and the healthcare system, ensuring that even the most vulnerable individuals have access to necessary medical care. This can lead to early detection and treatment of health conditions, thereby improving overall health outcomes. Furthermore, these programs can raise awareness about chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, and encourage regular health screenings and adherence to medication.Ultimately, free medical outreach programs empower low-income communities by providing them with the knowledge and resources needed to maintain better health, fostering a healthier and more resilient population.   #usbsfoundation #freemedicaloutreach #lowincomecommunities #Abuja #Nigeria #publichealthcare

Kindly check out our article published in the Frontiers in Public Health journal. It discusses the impact of introducing the PCV13 vaccine in Ghana to combat Streptococcus pneumonia, with initial co-financing from Gavi transitioning to full self-financing by Ghana in 2026. The research evaluates the health benefits and cost-effectiveness of the PCV13 vaccination program from 2012 to 2031, showing a 48% reduction in pneumococcal disease burden and cost-effectiveness even after Gavi's support ends. The study uses the UNIVAC tool to analyze different scenarios, considering costs from government and societal perspectives, and concludes that the vaccination program remains cost-effective for Ghana.

Phase 1 #HPVrollout in Nigeria- Lessons from the Northern region Remember that saying from the Holy book- 'the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone', that was exactly the case for the Northern states for the Phase 1 #hpvimplementationprogram. I mean everyone was on their toes to ensure the #hpvvaccinehesitancy was at the bearest minimum, hence, the deployment of various #actionplans and strategies. We all saw what happened with the #poliovaccine in Kano Guess what?? this time, Kano had 94% coverage amongst other states like Taraba 98%, Bauchi 87%, Adamawa 83% and FCT 84%. ******* This brings the question- what did we do right? I must say that there was a lot of intentionality, maybe because the narrative has always been that the communities with lesser educated populace have more hesitancy than the educated ones. However, this proved different. ***Here are few things done differently*** 1. Use of trained community #immunizationchampions to educate the people and answer the questions regarding the myths and misconceptions associated with the #hpvvaccine This was done in their local dialects and by their own people, hence, the level of trust increased to uptake the vaccine. 2. Heavy sensitization and collaboration with Religious and traditional leaders. This time, almost everyone was carried along and it worked wonders. In most of these communities, they trust the leaders and obey their instructions. What we did was to secure buy in from them and viola! the rest is history. Were there challenges? Yes! ***Here is an Area of Improvement*** I was on my way home when a community Immunization Champion called me about the refusal of some Fulani men to give their girls the vaccine because someone from a popular radio station said it was to stop their girls from procreating. Whoa!!! I exclaimed. How could that happen. A whole community shut out because of a radio presenter's comment? Who is that presenter? These were all my rants until I called my supervisor to relate my experience. Alas! it was a serious issue that had escalated to other states apart from the FCT. The popular radio presenter who was known for his negative opinion about vaccination had steered up hesitancy among the people through his comments. Yes! we lost some but through #quickresponse by implementers who visited his radio program to give more education and clarity about the vaccine, others were gained. For me, lesson learnt is to identify major #massmedia stakeholders in the community or state and get them involved from the start to avoid opposition to the program implementation. Again, I hope #HPVphase2Implementers have learnt from these experience so they can have better outcome. No one should be left behind in public health programming. Aderonke Olisa (MPH) Your favourite #Programmanager Have a lovely day! #publichealthprogram #Hpvvaccineproject #healtheducator #immunizationweek

🔥 New paper out today, led by Baatiema Leonard, exploring #covid vaccine uptake among Ghanaians living with #NCDs Mis/disinformation weren't major issues, but mistrust of vaccine efficacy, fears of side-effects, long distances, and long waiting hours all were. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eBe6-E2E

Free medical outreach is vital for low-income communities in Nigeria. It provides essential healthcare services that many residents cannot afford, including general check-ups, vaccinations, maternal and child health services, and treatment for common illnesses. These outreach programs often include health education sessions that teach residents about preventive measures, proper nutrition, and the importance of hygiene, which can help reduce the prevalence of diseases. By bringing healthcare services directly to these communities, medical outreaches bridge the gap between the population and the healthcare system, ensuring that even the most vulnerable individuals have access to necessary medical care. This can lead to early detection and treatment of health conditions, thereby improving overall health outcomes. Furthermore, these programs can raise awareness about chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, and encourage regular health screenings and adherence to medication. Ultimately, free medical outreach programs empower low-income communities by providing them with the knowledge and resources needed to maintain better health, fostering a healthier and more resilient population. #usbsfoundation #freemedicaloutreach #lowincomecommunities #Abuja #Nigeria #publichealthcare

Out in the International Journal of Medical Students 🔥 In this paper, we assessed the awareness, coverage, and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination among undergrads in Nigeria. This paper sheds light on a critical issue in the fight against the pandemic. Findings reveal the need for more targeted awareness campaigns to increase vaccination rates and overcome barriers to access. ADEBISI Yusuff Adebayo Link: https://lnkd.in/dYiu5drD #Covid19

From NPI to NPHCDA After about three years in National Program on Immunization, we were moved to National Primary Health Care Development Agency. The NPHCDA supports the states and local government areas to implement, sustain, supervise, monitor, etc. primary health care (PHC) systems and practices in Nigeria. While NPI deals mainly with immunizations, the NPHCDA covers all aspect of care at primary health care level. It includes maternal and child health, immunization, nutrition, mental health, communicable and non communicable disease and many more. It is more comprehensive as multiple programs can occur at the same time in different states. At NPHCDA you are taught to face challenges and get results, no excuses. We go from community to community, local government area to another and state to state to support the states on PHC. I went from monitoring and evaluation head to community health services department before being deployed to the south west. I later became the zonal director. PHC is quite fulfilling as you are involved in every aspect of care from building the health facility to equipping to staff deployment to drugs availability, staff training, etc. Once, Nigeria get a functional and sustainable PHC system in place, our health system will work better. As I interview for a new job, I look back with gratitude for my achievement while leading the south west team. Truly PHC can transform positively the Nigeria system and I hope to be part of team. #primaryhealthcare #immunization #NPHCDA #20dayslinkedinchallengewithhaoma #linkedin #jobhunt #linkedincommunity

Taban Anthony Stephen works for the Ministry of Health in Juba, South Sudan. Here is what he learned from colleagues at Teach to Reach. “At Teach to Reach 9 I learned to work with existing structures such as health development committees, women’s groups, traditional birth attendants, and other NGOs. There were public private partnerships with health care providers. Some of the private health facilities were assessed with support from WHO. After the assessment, staff trained and the Expanded Program on Immunization initiated into those respective facilities, which were supplied with the necessary vaccines, cold boxes, ice packs, refrigerators and reporting tools in order to boost vaccination coverage and to ensure that children that might not be brought to the public health facilities get vaccinated, as well as to have comprehensive data that is a reflection of the whole country data.” Join colleagues from all over the world to meet, network, and learn at Teach to Reach. Together, we learn from each other to catalyze change at local level. To request your invitation to Teach to Reach, follow the link in the first comment. #TeachtoReach #VaccinesWork #Trust #PublicHealth #SouthSudan #ZeroDose #PeerLearning