No one likes being poked with a needle. Especially kids who may be having some shots for the first time. Like many National Society efforts around the world, the Red Crescent Society of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan (RCSK) tries its best to make taking a shot a little bit easier.
Their approach often takes on a colorful, lively and even fun dimension as volunteers do their best to entertain potentially reluctant children. Given the potentially deadly consequences of being unvaccinated in the face of recent measles outbreaks, this approach is having a very serious and positive impact on increasing immunization rates.
“When I heard about the hundreds of children getting sick with measles every week, as a mother of two young children, I knew I had to act”, says RCSK volunteer Kyzy Minagul.
“When we were assigned by our branch to work at the local vaccination center to help with the crowd management, the centers were full of crying and screaming children who received their shots. I thought ‘it’s no wonder that parents are avoiding having their children to go to vaccination centers’.
“I talked with other fellow volunteers about how we can make the vaccination experience less stressful. We dressed up as popular cartoon characters and greeted children and parents as they come to vaccination centers. While we can’t take away the shot in the arm part, we tried to make the environment more child friendly”.
The Kyrgyzstan Red Crescent volunteers together with animators make balloon animals for children as part of the immunization campaign in connection with the measles outbreak.
Photo: Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan
At the forefront
The RCSK has been at the forefront of the national response to the measles epidemic in the country throughout the last year and this year. With the support of the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF), the National Society has been actively responding to the current epidemic between August 2023 and March 2024. In total, IFRC-DREF has allocated CHF 187,979 to bolster the RCSK’s efforts in curbing the outbreak, aiming to reach 120,000 people across the most affected regions and cities.
Some 325 volunteers have been mobilized across the country to support the measles and rubella immunization campaign. RCSK places a strong focus on zero–dose and under-immunized children in these activities.
One of those people reached is Nurgul, a young mother of three who lives in Kara-Balta town, a small town about a one-and-a-half hour drive from Bishkek, the capital city. Nurgul had chosen not to vaccinate any of her children. When she was approached by Red Crescent volunteers, she was skeptical about vaccination at first, having heard so many stories and rumours about the safety of vaccines.
Volunteers met with Nurgul and thoroughly discussed the benefits of vaccination, backing up their arguments with data on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. After a series of conversations and her own research, Nurgul decided to go and vaccinate her children against measles.
A Kyrgyzstan Red Crescent volunteer hands out comic books to children who have been vaccinated against measles.
Photo: Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan
“Volunteers played an indispensable role in educating the parents about measles and rubella vaccination during this outbreak”, said Dr. Gulbara Ishenapysova, director of the Republican Center for Immunoprophylaxis, the main technical agency responsible for the national immunization programme under the Ministry of Health.
“It takes organizations like the RCSK, which has a large network across the country, to swiftly mobilize such a large number of trained volunteers and increase the trust of communities in the vaccination campaigns organized by us, the health workers.”
Despite the vaccination campaigns in main cities and most affected regions, the epidemic continues to this day and the RCSK plans to support the next measles immunization campaign planned for May 2024.