Red Cross in immunisation drive

Rwanda Red Cross (RRC) has launched a campaign to sensitize the population on the dangers of not taking their children for immunization.The campaign has started in the three districts making-up Kigali and in Gisagara District, Southern Province and it will last for a month.RRC volunteers are going house-to-house sensitising parents to immunize their children against diseases.Jean Damascène Niyirora, in charge of development and social affairs in Gisozi Sector of Gasabo District, said the initiative complements government efforts to ensure that the population utilizes available free medical services.“Prevention is better than cure and the education that RRC is currently implementing is creating awareness so that parents, especially those who have been reluctant, can also have their children immunized against killer diseases,” Niyirora said.The head of RRC’s immunisation programme in Gisagara District, Robert Muyenzi, said the target was to make sure that parents take up their responsibilities so as to save lives.“We realized that there was need to educate the population to avoid losing life to diseases that can be prevented,” he said. “This should actually be a lesson to everyone out there.”With 1124 volunteers, RRC says that it is ready to do all it takes to reach as many homes as possible.Alice Mahoro, one of the residents in Gisozi, told The Sunday Times that the sensitization campaign was important in helping help spread the word.“You find that some parents are not aware of when exactly they are meant to take their children for immunization, but we have been informed that our children must be immunized at ages between 9 and 14,” Mahoro said.The Ministry of Health recently received measles-rubella combined vaccine that will be used in the mass immunisation exercise. The exercise which is slated for between March12 and 15, will target over five million children under the age of 15.