Injections

One of my less brave KG gals

When your government lacks transparency, the rumour-mongering is often intense. My school is a microcosm of Ethiopia - secretive, bullshit and deceit.

Back in January or February, i heard rumours of an outbreak of meningitis in the South of the country. In March, there were a “few” government confirmed cases in Awassa, and a vaccination programme was implemented. Last Tuesday, with the next batch of the 50^th Anniversary of the African Union, there is a government press release stating the country was now clear of meningitis.

Then on Wednesday afternoon i am informed that the Addis Ababa municipality are now vaccinating all students in Addis on Thursday and Friday and to get a letter of consent to parents within the hour. I end up having to keep the classes an extra 10 minutes to get the letter out to all students and we wait with baited breath with a flotilla of medical related questions and queries from anxious parents.

My beautiful kids are also anxious, and fearfully ask “when are they coming?” I have no definitive answer to give.

Thursday come and goes, and kids are even more anxious. Solomon, one of my Grade Four teachers worked for the Ministry and he calls to get a heads up on when we might get a visit. At lunchtime he finally gets word that The Ministry of Health are on their way. Unfortunately however, it means that many of my Pre-Kindy kids will miss out as some 20% leave at midday.

Come 2o’clock and i am highly sceptical that they’ll make it over when Ginger Warrior calls. The Government Nurses have turned up on the Secondary site.

Come today and six nurses turn up at 9am. We start with the Pre-Ks kids and slowly grind through the students. Most are brave, and it’s the older children that are the most fearful, including Mickey (a self harmer) and Kevin, my ADHD boy with an appalling home-life.

I am armed with hundreds of smiley face stickers and sit and hold hand with the more reticent students. The nurses disappear for lunch and have to be shepherded in from the Pavilion Cafe opposite the school after an almost 2 hour lunch-break to finish the job.

The last Grade 5 student is punctured 15 minute after home time.    

The vaccination itself only covers A and C type, not all four strains of the disease. It is quite unstable and needs to be kept refrigerated. It also has a very short life-span. I am sceptical of it all and only myself and a handful of staff members don’t take advantage of this “freebie”.