Cameroon’s medical authorities say over 200,000 children have not received routine vaccinations on schedule since March, when the country had its first case of COVID-19. Parents are refusing to take their kids to hospitals because they fear they may be infected with the virus, which has spread to nearly 17,000 people and caused nearly 400 deaths. Doctors are warning that without the vaccinations, children in Cameroon risk preventable diseases such as diphtheria, the measles, and tetanus. A pediatrician in the capital’s largest hospital says they should have had 2,300 children for routine vaccinations since March. But they have seen only about half the children. The deputy permanent secretary of Cameroon’s National Expanded Program for Immunization, Shalom Tchokfe says they have deployed staff to look for the children. Teams can meet the children in their houses, said Tchokfe. Parents and health workers are safe during routine vaccinations at hospitals, he said, as long as they wear their masks and wash their hands regularly.
SOURCE: VOA
More Stories
How to Experience Lagos and Parts of Nigeria
From Former Refugee to Travel Fundi
Living Wild in Zambia’s National Park
A Traveller’s Guide to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Rwanda is Home to Many other Thrilling Species – If you Know Where to Look
Akwasi Brenya-Mensa on Tatale: “My Work is About What African Cuisine Will Look Like in 30 to 50 Years’ Time”
Behold ‘The Woman King’: Viola Davis as a Real-Life Warrior General
10 Questions With… Nfemi Marcus-Bello
Meet the Ghanaian Author Documenting the History of African Designers
Beyoncé Has Helped Usher in a Renaissance for African Artists
Angola’s Privatisation Campaign is an Experiment
Trouble in Abuja’s Airspace