National COVID- 19 vaccine integration strategy mooted
Programme in Kweneng pilots COVID- 19 vaccine integration at community and health facility level
Last year, 20.5 million children missed out on one or more vaccines, and 24.4 million missed out on these crucial vaccines in 2021, globally. According to UNICEF Country Representative, Dr. Joan Matji, this was mostly attributed to disruptions escalated by the COVID- 19 pandemic. However, other factors might have contributed to these low vaccinations of children.
It is on this backdrop, that the Ministry of Health, UNICEF ( United Nations Children’s Fund) as a child centred UN Agency, Botswana Red Cross, and USAID sprang into action.
UNICEF Botswana in partnership with USAID currently supports community- based health services programme to accelerate routine immunisation in Kweneng.
The programme also pilots COVID- 19 vaccine integration at community and health facility level to draw lessons to inform development of the national COVID- 19 vaccine integration strategy.
On Tuesday, the media, and other stakeholders undertook a tour to Motokwe, to see first- hand the impact of programmes designed to accelerate routine immunisation in the Kweneng District.
Stakeholders, among them the Minister of
Health, and the Deputy Chief of Mission, for the American Embassy, Amanda Jacobsen, attended.
According to Matji, implementation research undertaken through a similar programme in five districts including Kweneng in 2021, showed that 49 percent of children who were not vaccinated, was due to the lack of urgency by caregivers or child negligence while 25 percent cited unavailability of vaccines during the scheduled time. On top of this, 24 percent of caregivers had missed taking children to child welfare clinics.
“To address these challenges, community engagement and behaviour change approaches are essential to raise the awareness of caregivers and urge them to take up immunisation services and wider child welfare services for the survival and thriving of children,” she explained.
Both UNICEF and USAID are well known humanitarian and emergency responders globally, including in Botswana as evidenced by the support given to the government of Botswana during the Covid- 19 pandemic.
“Following the end of the pandemic phase of COVID- 19 in 2023, UNICEF and USAID conceptualised the integration of the COVID- 19 vaccine into primary health or routine immunisation.
“That resulted in a joint programme to develop a strategy for the COVID- 19 vaccine integration and further strengthened routine immunisation to close the coverage gaps emanating from the pandemic,” she explained.
The work involves high level policy engagement coupled with community- based services. Community based interventions have been supported through their partnership with the Botswana Red Cross Society, she explained.
“This is the programme that has brought us all to Motokwe today,” she highlighted, adding that they have previously worked with the Botswana Red Cross Society in similar initiatives.
For his part, the Minister of Health, Edwin Dikoloti highlighted that his Ministry through the support of UNICEF and the Botswana Red Cross Society, has been able to mobilise and implement child health services for hard- toreach communities in some parts of the country including the Kweneng District.
These efforts were achieved through house- tohouse visits, community engagements, mobile stops, mobile outreach and community dialogue.
“Through these mobilisation activities, the Ministry of Health has been able to gather information that will inform decision making and strengthen our primary health system. As a result, community health workers managed to identify children with missed routine vaccination,” he said.
Jacobsen shared that since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the US government through USAID has invested approximately $ 20 million ( over P270 million) in Botswana’s COVID response.
She said the partnership sought to enhance various aspects of the response including vaccine rollout and distribution, adverse event monitoring, strengthening the supply chain, as well as improving communication to promote vaccine acceptance and uptake.
She said that UNICEF partnered with USAID to procure ultra- cold freezers and vaccine consumables, and facilitated the delivery of vaccines donated by the US government.
“This approach aligns with the World Health Organisation global guidelines and recommendations. Botswana, as usual, is at the forefront of following WHO recommendations,” Jacobsen said.