In a health centre in Baidoa, Somalia, a medic administers immunization drops to a crying baby while the mother comforts her child. The scene reflects a daily reality in a country where vaccination rates remain low and malnutrition is widespread.
Sahro Ali, a mother of two, emphasized the critical importance of vaccination and access to quality medicine for her children.
We need the vaccination to be increased, and we also want medicine. Children suffer every problem that arises if they miss vaccination and medicine, she said. If the immunization is missed, children get malnourished and they die.
At the Bullo-Jadid health centre, supported by USAID and Save the Children, Dr. Maryan Mohamed said the facility receives an average of over 60 people daily, many seeking vaccination.
Those who are vaccinated come from the camps and remote areas, Mohamed said. If vaccination runs short, we fear diseases will increase and spread. The diseases include whooping cough and polio. If they are not immunized, the diseases will spread.
