Low turnout as Dar es Salaam’s free vaccination plan kicks off

Dar es Salaam. The turnout was abysmally low yesterday at the start of a five-day free vaccination programme for elephantiasis, hydrocele and other neglected diseases. This situation made Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda to call on members of the public to come out in large nubers during the remaining days of the exercise.

He made the call during the launch of the programme, pointing out that at least 6,400 men suffering from hydrocele live in Dar es Salaam, thus showing the urgency for more people to be vaccinated to minimise its spread. Mr Makonda called for continued public awareness of such diseases since a large number of people were still misinformed about it, making them fear to show up for the vaccine or surgery.

“There are people providing wrong information about the vaccines that they reduce chances for women to conceive pregnancies and also make men impotent…I am telling you today that this exercise is here to help all of us from chances of getting these diseases in the future,” he said.

For her part, the Dar es Salaam chief medical officer, Dr Grace Magembe, noted that the government was committed to ensuring the infection was not increasing by ensuring a large number of people were reached in the October 25-30 vaccination programme, which was going hand in hand with hydrocelectomy for those infected until the end of the year.