South West: Health officials urge parents to ensure children receive Vitamin A, be dewormed.

The representative of the South West Governor, Vannessa Mbong Mbembe, made the call during an advocacy meeting held Wednesday, November 20, 2024, in Buea.

The meeting was organised in preparation of the Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Action Week round two.

During the meeting, the official saluted all the stakeholders for their presence before calling on them to put in all their efforts to ensure the region reaches its target. 

“…play your role in the sensitisation and social mobilisation of the public to massively embrace this campaign,” she urged.

On her part, the representative of the Regional Delegate of Public Health, Dr Green Adeline Enjema, who is Chief of Service for Administration and Finance, said the Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Action Week, falls in line with the government’s vision to strengthen the health of the targeted population in line with recommendations from the World Health Organisation

The advocacy meeting in Buea follows a briefing with media professionals and digital actors on 18 November 2024.

The media was briefed on the upcoming campaign focused on administering Vitamin A supplements and deworming children.

The second phase of the Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Action Week Round Two will run from 22 to 24 November 2024 across the national triangle, coupled with the Local Polio Vaccination Days. 

Children aged between 6 and 59 months will receive vitamin A supplementation while deworming medication (Mebendazole) will be given to children aged between 12 and 59 months. 

Intermittent Preventive Treatment for malaria will be administered to women from their 13th week of pregnancy. 

In addition to the said interventions in the Far North, North, Adamawa and East Regions, children aged 0-59 months will also be administered the Oral Polio Vaccine (nVPO2) as part of this campaign.

The campaign aims to provide an integrated package of high-impact interventions to help reduce the morbidity and mortality rates in women and children from the diseases these interventions aim to combat.

While striving to ensure that at least 95% of the targeted population is reached, the campaign will provide an opportunity for the stakeholders to detect suspected cases of epidemic-prone diseases like poliomyelitis with Acute Flaccid Paralysis, Yellow Fever, Measles, Cholera, Neonatal Tetanus, Mpox

Vitamin A plays a crucial role in boosting children's immunity, contributing to the healthy growth of children, reducing the severity, occurrence, duration and complications of illnesses like measles, chickenpox, diarrhoea, and the risk of developing blindness and improves children’s growth.

On the other hand, deworming medications help reduce the risk of anaemia, stomach aches, stunted growth in children and improving the children’s learning capacity. 

The Intermittent Preventive treatment against Malaria helps protect the mother and her unborn baby from malaria reducing the risk of having low birthweight babies. 

It also reduces the risk of miscarriage and preterm birth and prevents severe anaemia during pregnancy

The vaccination and deworming exercise will be carried out in fixed places like health facilities, schools, churches, markets and temporary spots in the communities where people are gathered like markets, bus stations or meeting groups. 

The first Week of Mother Child and Nutrition Actions in 2024 was held in May 2024. 

It recorded a positive balance sheet of Vitamin A Supplementation for children aged 6 to 59 months of 98.6% (96% among 6 at 11 months and 97% among 12 to 59 months); and a National Coverage of deworming of children aged 12 to 59m of 98.7%.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3298 of Friday November 22, 2024