Hassan Istiila
Monday April 29, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somali Ministry of Health, in collaboration with UNICEF and WHO, organized a two-day media orientation workshop on immunization for thirty journalists from across the country on April 24th and 25th in Mogadishu.
The workshop included sessions on
providing journalists with a comprehensive understanding of vaccination,
reliable sources of information on immunization, crisis communication
strategies, and understanding and debunking misinformation and
disinformation about vaccination.
The head of the Vaccination Program at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Mohamed Mohamud Deerow, stated that the workshop provided in-depth knowledge on reporting accurate information on immunization. He pledged that the Ministry would work closely with the journalists to raise awareness campaigns, especially targeting zero-dose children.
"The Media Orientation Workshop on Immunization was presented in a manner that makes it easy for Somali journalists to convey health messages, especially those regarding immunization. We will continue to train journalists to become part of the campaign," Deerow added.
Last month, Somalia received 1.4 million vials of oral cholera vaccine worth US$2.5 million as part of intensified efforts to curb an outbreak of the disease. Since January, the outbreak has infected 4,388 people and claimed 54 lives, with two-thirds of the victims being children. According to WHO, the number of reported cases this year is three times higher than the average reported in the same period over the last three years.
The vaccines would be distributed to five hotspot districts across the country, with 700,000 vials allocated to Bossaso in Puntland state, which has experienced the highest case fatality rate. The other districts are Daynile, Mahady, Buurhakaba, and Balcad, the UN agency UNICEF said.
The surge in cholera cases is largely attributed to El Nino-induced floods towards the end of last year, which displaced 1.2 million people. The other districts are Daynile, Mahady, Buurhakaba, and Balcad.
The El Nino-induced floods that began last August, displacing 1.2 million people, are believed to have contributed to the increase in cholera cases. With the April-June Gu rainy season has already started in the country.