UNICEF campaign protects 200,000 women in Mauritania against tetanus
© UNICEF Mauritania/2010
Aichatou, age 16, and her mother, Fatimatou, walk to the immunization site in Boumbry, Mauritania.
BOUMBRY, Mauritania (March 4, 2010) — With their immunization cards in hand, 16-year-old Aichatou and her mother, Fatimatou, recently visited a vaccination site in their village to receive an injection to protect them from tetanus.
The two began their multi-dose course of tetanus vaccinations last April. Now they are close to completing the immunization cycle, which will give them immunity from the deadly disease.
Ahead of the campaign, Aichatou and Fatimatou were visited in their home by a social mobilization agent who advised them where and when to go and explained the importance of vaccination and of completing all five rounds.
Ensuring protection from tetanus
© UNICEF Mauritania/2010
Aichatou's vaccination card.
The community mobilization agent reminded the women that immunization is the best way to protect themselves and their newborn babies against tetanus. This support is crucial for health workers, as the mobilization agents were able to overcome local resistance to the program and make sure that women were told of the benefits of vaccination.
When a multi-dose course of the vaccine is administered to a mother, it offers her a lifetime of protection against a disease that often kills before it can be clinically identified and treated. Newborn babies are also at great risk from tetanus and can die during their first month of life if infected.
Vaccination teams spread out to reach as many people as possible, especially in the most isolated regions of the country where women are more vulnerable. More than 200,000 women aged 14 to 45 were targeted in this third round of the vaccination campaign, which is supported by UNICEF and WHO.
Your vote can help
Watch this video for an overview of how Kiwanis and UNICEF could partner together to eliminate Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus.
UNICEF has been selected by Kiwanis International as a finalist for a Worldwide Service Project that could save millions of mothers and their newborn babies from this fatal, but preventable illness. With a financial commitment of $110 million and 100 million service hours, Kiwanis can be the perfect partner for UNICEF in eliminating MNT over the next five years.
Through its website, Kiwanis, a 600,000 member organization, is calling for public input on this global cause. You can show your support for the UNICEF/Kiwanis MNT campaign that will help the U.S. Fund for UNICEF reach its goal to eliminate MNT by 2015.
Visit the Worldwide Service Project and do your part to reduce infant deaths to zero.
