Bolivia, February 1st, 2021 (PAHO/WHO).— For several days, the city of Tarija in southern Bolivia had the highest number of new infections in the country. Because of the pandemic, there was a significant drop in the number of children under the age of 5 who should have been vaccinated against diseases such as poliomyelitis or influenza. Fear of visiting a healthcare center and the distance between those facilities and people’s homes were factors that aggravated the problem.
Bolivia, February 1st, 2021 (PAHO/WHO)- For several days, the city of Tarija in southern Bolivia had the highest number of new infections in the country. Because of the pandemic, there was a significant drop in the number of children under the age of 5 who should have been vaccinated against diseases such as poliomyelitis or influenza. Fear of visiting a healthcare center and the distance between those facilities and people’s homes were factors that aggravated the problem.
Health workers concerned about new pockets of unvaccinated children came up with a new strategy and decided to visit these children in their homes, risking their own health but motivated by the impact that vaccines have.
Mónica is a low-income mother who lives in the Jesús de Nazaret neighborhood. She is happy that the vaccination teams came to her home to vaccinate her 6-month-old baby boy.
These are times difficult for everyone, but their dedication to service puts healthcare professionals on the front line in the pandemic, which makes them the greatest health heroes of all.
Fanny Juarez has been working in the health sector for 31 years. Even though she has an underlying disorder that excuses her from work, she cannot leave the health of the children to chance, so she, along with staff from the Palmarcito Health Center and in coordination with the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), schedule Tuesdays and Thursdays to go door to door to vaccinate in the most remote neighborhoods.
To ensure that the work has the greatest impact and reaches the most beneficiaries, partnerships are formed and coordinated with neighborhood leaders.
One of them is Tania Gutiérrez, the head of the Primero de Abril neighborhood. Her involvement in vaccination efforts is extremely important since she has a very close relationship with the locals, which establishes the needed level of trust with vaccination teams.
The Expanded Program on Immunization ( EPI ) is supported by the Municipality of Tarija in terms of providing staff and protective equipment. However, most of the support comes from PAHO/WHO in terms of recruiting vaccination team members, especially since 90% of staff in the healthcare sector were laid off. The teams that were recruited are still being deployed in the municipalities of Cercado, Yacuiba, and Bermejo.
Fanny has the support of her family, because they know that her work is for the good of the community. They are proud of the work she does, even though that means spending fewer hours with the family.
We pay tribute to all health professionals through Ms. Roxana Castro, a woman well known for her tremendous effort and dedication to her job. Even though she had an underlying health condition, she chose to keep working in various vaccination campaigns but unfortunately contracted COVID-19 and lost her life.
