The Expanded Vaccination Program (EPI) in North Kivu recently organized training for more than 40 journalists, bloggers and child reporters. This initiative, supported by PATH, aimed to educate participants about the importance of routine immunization and encourage them to get involved in EPI work to reduce the number of unvaccinated children.
During this training, participants were trained in basic knowledge of vaccines and immunization, as well as strategies to reach unvaccinated children. Interviewing techniques were also taught to help journalists produce relevant stories on health and immunization.
Dr. Stéphanie Hans, doctor-coordinator of the EPI in North Kivu, underlined the importance of this training, specifying that more than 400,000 children aged 0 to 29 months had not received vaccines in the region. However, thanks to catch-up vaccination campaigns, this number has been reduced to 30,000 unvaccinated children per month.
It is also important to note that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is among the five countries with the highest number of children who have not received any vaccine dose in the world. The EPI points out that full vaccination coverage in the DRC is currently 45%, a slight drop from the pre-Covid rate of 50%.
This training was therefore a valuable opportunity for journalists and bloggers to better understand the challenges of vaccination and to help improve vaccination coverage in the North Kivu region. Raising awareness of the importance of routine immunization to prevent and eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases is essential.
In conclusion, this training has enabled journalists and bloggers in North Kivu to strengthen their knowledge of vaccination and acquire the necessary skills to inform and raise public awareness. Through their work, they will be able to help reduce the number of unvaccinated children and promote the health of the population in the region