One of the civil society organizations in the country, Health for all Coalition Sierra Leone (HFAC-SL) and GAVI are embarking on vaccine awareness among people across Sierra Leone.

HFAC-SL is a non-governmental organization that advocates for availability, accessibility and affordability of health care services by people in Sierra Leone.

It is mounting a campaign in partnership with the Ministry of Health through the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) and with support from the Global Alliances on Vaccine and immunization (GAVI) which is providing technical support to the health ministry.

MOH/EPL, through community engagements and sensitizations among people, it is hoped to increase demand in the utilization of HPV routine vaccination and other primary health care services across.

The Executive Director of Health for All Coalition Sierra Leone, Charles Mambo, has strongly told pressmen that women have been the most targeted.

He was speaking on Wednesday, November 27th 2024 at the DHMT compound, Old Fourah Bay College building, Cline Town, Freetown. He said their partnership with GAVI on the current project is meant to achieve a high coverage of immunization of women, girls and children in the country.

Mr. Charles noted that Sierra Leone is one of the countries in sub-Sahara Africa that has been credited by health development over time.

He said but there are still challenges in the uptake of HPV vaccination services which include but not limited to “Certain sectors of Sierra Leonean society still fail to recognize immunization as a major public health preventive measure.

Gender issues also pose a challenge, he said.”

Sierra Leone is a society where women are still treated as minorities in certain decision making processes especially in the matrimonial homes. Women, he said, are less knowledgeable, and are less empowered to demand quality of care for their wellbeing, especially in the rural settings,” he said.

Kadjatu Maligie Kamara, Coordinator of Public Health HFAC-SL stressed that the inadequate community engagements on information about
immunization in some areas have created a widespread misconceptions about vaccines causing infertility, illness, or even, sometimes deaths fueled by rumours.

“Cultural, traditional and other beliefs and practices are trusted more than modern medicines leading most to be reluctant to accept vaccines intake.

Some religious groups oppose vaccines intake due to their beliefs that a
disease is as a result of divine decree, so vaccines are not safe for certain purposes at times.

“It is against this background that Health For All Coalition Sierra Leone in collaboration with district health management team is undertaking eight (8) districts levels demand for the immunization of HPV vaccination,” he explained.

Madam Suad Kamara, Chairlady at Moeba community in east of Freetown, extended her deepest appreciations to HFAC-SL for their campaign and awareness raising.

She promised to continue to buy tabs and distribute the message to thousands about the doses of different lifesaving vaccines to save the lives of people in Sierra Leone especially women, girls and children and other groups at risk of dying from preventable vaccine related illnesses. “Citizens and communities should avoid associating killer diseases to cultural, religious and other beliefs, ” the CSO warned.

They [the illnesses] can be treated and or cured when vaccines and other medicines are taken on time and with the right doses, the partners said.