Lilongwe – In mid-October 2022, Malawi completed the fourth round of a vaccination campaign against wild poliovirus. In February 2022 the country confirmed a case of wild polio, the first since 1992. The Ministry of Health, with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, soon launched vaccination campaigns to reach every child, including in 170 settlements in the south of the country hosting people displaced by Tropical Storm Ana and cyclone Gombe back in early 2022.
WHO/Marta Villa Monge
In one of the camps for the displaced, residents receive vaccination teams. Strong winds and flooding from the tropical storm and the cyclone destroyed houses, farms and property and left around 32 000 families without shelter amid the polio outbreak response. The fourth round of the vaccination campaign between 13 – 16 October 2022 reached almost 3.6 million under 5 children.
WHO/Marta Villa Monge
Blan Makawi, a senior health surveillance assistant based at Karemba Community Hospital in Nsanje, southern Malawi, was instrumental in the largest of the settlements, Bangura camp. With his motorcycle he was able to reach more children faster.
The situation has now improved since the natural disaster as people are managing to return to their homes and the camp is being dismantled. Makawi recalls how more than 2000 families grappled with hardship in Bangura camp. “They had lost everything, and here we were not only at risk of polio, but also at risk of other diseases such as cholera, measles, or malaria,” he says.
The situation has now improved since the natural disaster as people are managing to return to their homes and the camp is being dismantled. Makawi recalls how more than 2000 families grappled with hardship in Bangura camp. “They had lost everything, and here we were not only at risk of polio, but also at risk of other diseases such as cholera, measles, or malaria,” he says.
WHO/Marta Villa Monge
“I feel very happy when I protect people,” Makawi says. “My team and I used to go to the camp twice a week to provide water, sanitation and hygiene services, nutrition assessments and, of course, immunization. It's good that people are now going back to their homes, and I'm very proud of the work we did because when the camp was set up, we found eight children who were severely malnourished when they arrived. They were admitted to the hospital and their health improved a lot. No deaths were recorded here."
The Bangura camp also hosted people who fled their homes in neighbouring Mozambique due to floods. Health teams provided a range of services including information on family planning, antenatal care and supplements such as folic acid to prevent anaemia.
“I have been serving for 32 years in different districts and parts of Malawi because I like my job and I am very happy, but we need more human resources... for the health of Malawians,” says Makawi.
“I have been serving for 32 years in different districts and parts of Malawi because I like my job and I am very happy, but we need more human resources... for the health of Malawians,” says Makawi.
Vaccinators like Makawi have played a vital role in protecting children. He explains that he has found ways to communicate to people, including through gestures to demonstrate how crucial the oral polio is at protecting children against the devastation of polio.
For Additional Information or to Request Interviews, Please contact:
Monge Marta Villa
Communications Officer
Polio Eradication Programme
WHO Regional Office for Africa
Email: mongem [at] who.int
Tel: + 34 636 04 76 79