African Vaccination Week in Ethiopia served as a crucial platform to advance the Big Catch-Up (BCU) initiative. The campaign focused on raising awareness, engaging local communities, and strengthening immunization efforts, particularly in underserved areas. A high-level advocacy visit was made to an outreach vaccination site in a densely populated urban slum, organized by the Addis Ababa City Administration Health Bureau in collaboration with Woreda 03 Health Center of Kolfe Keranyo sub-city.
Community representative Ashenafi from the “Gamo” slum shared the serious health access challenges facing the 11,035 residents, including deep-rooted traditional beliefs, poor health-seeking behavior, and no nearby health facilities. Misconceptions and fear about outsiders led to resistance against medical intervention and vaccinations, resulting in home births and missed immunization schedules. A recent measles outbreak in the area claimed the lives of three children, underscoring the community’s vulnerability.
To address this crisis, Woreda 3 Health Center began advocacy efforts and held multiple discussions with community leaders. These efforts successfully built trust and shifted community attitudes toward vaccination. With support from community representatives, regular weekly outreach vaccination sessions were launched, and local families started bringing their children for immunizations.
According to Mr. Fikre Ayele, Medical Director and Public Health Specialist at Woreda 03 Health Center, the response from the community has been encouraging. In the last six months, 227 children under five have been vaccinated, with doses administered for measles, polio, and Penta I. Encouragingly, no measles cases have been reported in the past month.
The 2025 African Vaccination Week was commemorated with a visit from the State Minister of Health and immunization partners. Dr. Dereje Duguma emphasized the importance of continuing outreach to identify unreached communities and reduce the number of zero-dose children. He also acknowledged the contributions of community volunteers in raising awareness and boosting immunization coverage.
The national event, held on April 30th at Woreda 03 Health Center, was supported by WHO and attended by key health officials and representatives from partner organizations such as UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, and Save the Children. The event advocated for routine immunization, promoted community engagement, and aimed to strengthen outreach to zero-dose and under-vaccinated children.
A key part of the celebration included keynote addresses from health leaders and a panel discussion centered on strategies for reaching zero-dose children. Mr. Melkamu Ayalew of the Ministry of Health presented strategic directions to strengthen routine immunization through targeted interventions, emphasizing the goal of eliminating gaps in vaccine coverage across the country.
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