CBC Health Services launches campaign targeting all ‘zero-dose’ children in Cameroon
By Ngombet Claudia
Through a project dubbed “Reaching and Adapting Immunization Services Effectively for Zero-Dose Children in Cameroon, the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services, CBCHS, has launched a new initiative to ensure the vaccination of all children who do not receive any routine vaccine, “zero-dose children”.
The project seeks to support national efforts toward achieving the World Health Organisation’s 2030 Agenda for immunization by strengthening country strategies to reach zero-dose children and communities by 2025.
The Immunisation Agenda (IA 2030) places priority and focus on reaching the most marginalized and vulnerable populations.
According to the Country Program Manager for RAISE 4 ZDC in Cameroon, Dr. Foyeth Eugene, an estimated 1.3 million zero-dose children live in fragile and conflict settings, often outside the government’s reach in 12 countries across the Sahel region and the horn of Africa.
Amidst tremendous vaccination investments coordinated by the national Enlarged Program for Immunization (EPI) in Cameroon, children are often out of vaccination reach due to multiple anthropological, social, economic, and security challenges, thereby increasing the chances of facing diseases preventable with vaccines.
Against this backdrop, the CBC Health Services with the support of the Global Alliance Vaccination Initiative (GAVI), through World Vision USA would be leading the implementation of the zero-dose children initiative over the next four years in six regions in Cameroon (the North, Adamawa, East, Far North, North West, and South West) with the collaboration of the Ministry of Public Health and the national Enlarged Program for Immunization.
The RAISE 4 ZDC in Cameroon will significantly contribute to the reduction in mortality and morbidity related to vaccination among children aged 0 to 5 years, the Director of CBC health services Prof. Tih Pius Muffih said.
The ceremony which took place on Wednesday 10th August in Yaounde was presided at by the Minister of Public Health Dr. Manaouda Malachie (in representation).
