What happens when children go unvaccinated, from those who know

Thousands died or were left with permanent disabilities. Babies and young children were the most vulnerable. As vaccines were developed and vaccination campaigns covered the entire country, rates of these diseases declined and today most are close to complete eradication. In fact, thanks to vaccines, most Australian doctors, nurses and parents of young children, have never seen a case of these diseases outside of text books.  

Some health workers and parents have not been so lucky. Whether they have survived deadly diseases themselves, or simply advocate for better vaccination coverage, they want to make sure that no child goes through what those before them have suffered. 

 

Ending polio with Richard, Kinshasa, DR Congo 

Richard Elaka, 60, is a polio survivor in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s sprawling capital. He was infected at the age of seven and has been moving around on crutches ever since. 
 
For more than 20 years, Richard has been a community outreach worker informing parents in the commune of Makala in Kinshasa about the importance of vaccination and the risks of non-vaccination. "I realised that many families don't get their children vaccinated because of a lack of knowledge," he explains. 

Poliomyelitis, known commonly as polio, is a deadly viral infection spread not only through coughing and sneezing but also though contact with an infected person’s faeces. 

Whilst the majority of those infected with poliovirus will have only very minor flu like symptoms, in its most severe form, polio can affect the spinal cord, causing paralysis and even death.  
  At his own pace, supported by his two crutches, Richard walks the uneven streets of his community to share his story with the mothers of the commune of Makala. 

"In the morning I wake up, I take my awareness materials and go meet families with 0-59 month old children,” Richard says.  

“When I arrive in a family, I make the parents understand that vaccination is a gesture of love that protects the children. When they vaccinate their children, they are protecting them.”  

“For parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated, I explain to them that I am myself a victim of polio. Look at me. If you don't want your children to be vaccinated, you see the consequences."

"When a child has polio, he will be disabled for the rest of their life. Your children need to be immunised." 

UNICEF is working day and night to continue this life-saving work, educating  communities and delivering vaccines to even the hardest to reach places.
But we cannot let children’s health go backwards.   

Lockdowns and overwhelmed health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted  child vaccination programs around the world. New data shows that 60 life-saving vaccination campaigns are currently postponed in 50 countries.  

That’s putting millions of children at risk of deadly diseases like, measles, polio and yellow fever. With help from people like you, we already vaccinate half the world’s children every year.

Help us continue this life-saving vaccine work

Tackling Tetanus with Dr Maryana, Voznytsya, Ukraine

 

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Preventing measles with Daniel and Meselech, Ethiopia