Hesperian Health Guides
Health Workers: Key to Vaccinations
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If you work in a health center or clinic:
- Be friendly and welcoming to each parent. Let parents know that any question is a good question and they need not feel bad for asking.
- Because injections may hurt, do your best to make the experience better for the child. Maybe you can distract the child right after the injection with something that is brightly-colored or makes a sound.
- In a group or to each family explain each vaccination and why it is needed, before giving the vaccination. Describe if it normally causes a mild fever or might ache at the place where the vaccine is injected so that parents won’t worry. Explain what to do if parents notice any danger signs, such as an allergic reaction.
- If the clinic has run out of a needed vaccine, see if it is available in another clinic or make a plan with the family about when they can come back. You can write a reminder on their clinic or vaccination card.
- Help families keep vaccination records with a child health booklet or other method. This encourages people to plan and make decisions for their children’s health.
Many health clinics do not get all the resources they need. If this causes people to have a bad experience in the clinic, they might not come back to get a vaccination. But even with too few workers or supplies, find ways to improve people’s experience and make them feel good about visiting.
In the community, encourage families to get vaccinated:
- Reach out to both mothers and fathers. Even though mothers usually bring the children to the clinic, when fathers also understand the importance of vaccines, children are more likely to get them. Maybe it will help to talk with grandparents or other family members too.
- Because false information about vaccines is everywhere, it can be challenging to explain how vaccines work to improve health. If a family is avoiding vaccinations, find out why. Maybe it is a problem with transport, money, or something else you can help solve. Reassure them about the safety and value of vaccinations.
- Train and involve midwives or others who help pregnant women and new mothers so they can answer questions about vaccinations and help people get them.
- Involve children in promoting vaccinations. If children learn about it in school, they can talk to their parents about vaccinations for siblings, family members, and neighbors.
- Do what works in your community. Talking to people in their homes might help. Or you may find that parents like visiting the health center. Talking with teachers and religious or other leaders in the community can encourage more people to get vaccinated.
You know your community best. When organizing how to make sure all children get their vaccines, look at who you are trying to reach and what motivates them, what their concerns are, who makes which family decisions, and how to involve respected community leaders. Also find out if it is hard for people to get health advice and health services and what would make it easier.
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| Schools can teach young people about the importance of vaccines and the science of how they work. Vaccination programs can also reach children by offering vaccinations at school. | |
Public participation: A vaccination for equality
Vaccinations eliminate or reduce the spread of many sicknesses that previously caused death or serious health problems. But this is most true where vaccinations are free or inexpensive, and the health systems that deliver them work. That’s why vaccinations are too important to leave just to the authorities. Health workers, teachers, and other community leaders need to work with the government to ensure vaccinations are always safe, given at no cost, and available to everyone who needs them, young and old. People need to pressure their governments to solve problems of unsafe water, lack of sanitation, poverty, discrimination, and lack of vaccinations— all of which cause poor health.