Tetanus vaccination drive in full swing

Caption: Sister Betty administering the vaccine to a young girl.

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, July 28, 2013 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG) 

AFTER the announcement of an extension in the tetanus vaccination drive till next month- vaccination teams were out and about last week in different locations around Port Moresby administering the vital vaccine to women and girls.

Girl and women from ages 15 to 45 are encouraged to take the vaccine as those were the ages of childbearing, thus providing added protection children in current and future pregnancies also.

This reporter came across one such team bearing the heat outside the Vision City Mall fence at Waigani.

Sister Betty Aicarrah, and her team have been assigned to the Tokarra- Waigani areas and were appealing to all women and girls to come forward for the injection if they have not already received it.

“We have been to schools during the week and now we’ve set up here just to provide the opportunity to those who have missed out.”

“The injection is to protect against tetanus in women and unborn children,” she said.

Each team also are giving out other medication free to the public to treat conditions like hookworms, anaemic medication for pregnant mothers, and providing vitamin A capsules and polio vaccines to both boys and girls less than five years old- to be administered at the stations set up.