by Marko Kokic in Lusaka
Along a lonely stretch of highway in
north-eastern Zambia walks Anton Chilufya, followed by nine village children.
Wearing tattered and dusty clothes, the children shield their eyes from
the midday sun. Anton's Red Cross apron flaps violently as gusts of wind
are swept up by passing traffic. Undaunted, their pace remains slow but
steady.
The boys and girls are not Anton's. They were collected from villages along the way and are being taken to Pintu Immigration Post, eight kilometers away. There they will be vaccinated against one of Africa's most deadly childhood diseases, measles.
Where parents were unable to accompany their children, Anton and others like him have volunteered to do so in their place, ensuring that no child is left unprotected. He is one of 1,800 Zambian Red Cross volunteers participating in a week-long campaign to vaccinate five million children against the deadly disease.
Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that kills close to a million children around the globe annually. Half of those are in Sub-Saharan Africa. The bitter irony is that the vaccine has existed for almost 40 years and costs less than US$1 to administer.
The measles campaign in Zambia is part of a larger Measles Initiative, an alliance of international public health organisations - including the American Red Cross, International Federation and the national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in which campaigns are held - that have made a commitment to reducing measles deaths in Africa by vaccinating 220 million children through both mass and follow-up campaigns in 36 Sub-Saharan African countries.
By 2005, it is estimated that 1.6 million deaths will have been prevented, bringing measles deaths in Africa to nearly zero.
At Chincelebwe School, a large crowd of women and children has congregated. As Red Cross volunteers outside give instructions using megaphones, from inside the building come the wails of children as they feel the vaccinator's needle - a small price to pay for the protection they receive.
An often these children are not only being protected against measles. In an unprecedented move the campaign has integrated a number of other health initiatives. Red Cross volunteers busily administer vitamin A supplements, thus combating a leading cause of blindness in children, as well as de-worming medication to fight malnutrition.
Insecticide treated bed-nets, known as ITNs, are also being distributed to prevent malaria, another major cause of morbidity amongst African children. Most affected by malaria are the poor who live in exposed dwellings and can ill afford treatment. Never before have so many ITNs (75,000) been distributed in so short a time.
Measles and malaria are feared by common people. Chilombwa village, near the shores of Lake Mweru-Wantipa, is a typical example. When asked about the impact these diseases have had, village headman Levy Chansa replies: "They have killed enough of our young to fill another community such as our own." Indeed, the graves are so numerous that many remain unmarked.
"When a child is ill we suspect sorcery," says mother-of-four Violet Mwaba. "Sometimes the symptoms of a real disease and that of sorcery are similar. Because we cannot afford to pay for medicines we try traditional remedies first because they are most effective against sorcery. If those do not work, and we have in the meantime collected enough money, then we take our children to the clinic."
Her explanation is echoed by others in the community. This pattern of seeking medical attention later rather than sooner means that by the time a child visits a clinic it is often too late.
The cost of treatment also rises as more medication and care are needed. Together they decrease the likelihood that treatment will be successful, making local people question the effectiveness of modern medicine.
In the case of a contagious disease like measles, such delays only succeed in facilitating its spread to other children. This is one reason why prevention through vaccination is so effective in saving lives, yet the Zambian Red Cross still faces an uphill struggle in certain communities in persuading parents to have their children vaccinated.
"There is a rumour going around in the community that a mortuary has been built but needs more corpses before it can be officially opened," explains Red Cross volunteer, Jason Mulumbi. "Some people are saying that the vaccine kills and this is the reason behind the measles campaign."
In another community a rumour was spread that the vaccination was a form of family planning aimed at making children sterile. "If you want to scare an African just talk of impotence," comments another volunteer.
For these reasons mobilising the population is of paramount importance during such campaigns, the success of which is dependant on sufficient coverage - 80 per cent of children between the ages of six months and 15 years in the case of measles.
Because of its wide volunteer base, the Zambian Red Cross is one of the few organisations that can work at a grassroots level, reaching remote communities right down into individual households.
"We live in the same community we
serve, we know the people we help and can convince them of the truth and
dispel such misinformation," Jason explains.
"People see us bringing our children for vaccination and in most cases
that's all the proof they need."
Community theatre, music, dancing and singing are other creative activities volunteers employ to reach the public. In the town of Kaputa, a large crowd gathers to listen to Red Cross volunteers David Mulungu, Andrew Kaonga and Kelson Mulemba play the drums.
Volunteer Maison Chansa dances and chants the measles message through a megaphone. "It is better to be protected than to be treated. It is good to react to this message about protection. Wisdom and knowledge are power so vaccinate your children against measles!" he sings in the local Bemba language.
Initial data reveal that the campaign has been a major success, reaching over 90 per cent of targeted children.
"This campaign is proof that a coordinated effort between the Red Cross, Ministry of Health and other partners involved in public health can effectively address major illnesses in Africa," says Zambia Red Cross Health Coordinator, Georgina Chinaka.
"It has already changed the way we intervene in health issues in Zambia, and we hope that it can serve as an example to other countries facing similar problems," he concludes.