Increasing COVID-19 vaccines uptake, TB screening & Treatments among Rural Women in Bauchi State
KNCV Nigeria is a local non-profit public health organization firmly equipped with technical and administrative capacity in strengthening TB services delivery to prevent, screen, diagnose, treat, and notify TB disease, expand access to quality patient-centered TB care and support health system strengthening and research in Nigeria. With funding from USAID, KNCV Nigeria is implementing (COVID-19) Vaccination Acceleration Project (GLOVAX) in 10 states using the already existing USAID – TB LON Region 1 & 2 project structures. These states are Bauchi, Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Kano, Rivers & Kaduna, Delta, Taraba & Imo states.
Addressing Low vaccine uptake among Women: The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This global disease outbreak came with unprecedented health challenges that resulted in medical feats that were considered impossible. One such was the prompt development of COVID-19 vaccines.
Naturally, this came with challenges of vaccine uptake, most especially among women. With this support from USAID, KNCV Nigeria in collaboration with other USAID partners: BA-Nigeria and it’s local partners, the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) and the Nigerian Red cross society embarked on aggressive and targeted community mobilization for women in order to increase the uptake of COVID19 vaccine, TB screening and treatments among rural women in Bauchi state. The targeted exercise took place in Darazo LGA Township Market and Misau Town in Misau LGA with a combined total of 329 women vaccinated and 291 tested for TB with 10 presumptive and one (1) index case across the 2 LGAs on 13 and 14 February 2023.
Kaitumi Yau in Misau spoke on behalf of other women and thanked USAID for changing their orientation and dispelling rumors that the vaccine affects pregnancies and also causes infertility in women of childbearing age.
The women pleaded with the vaccination team to come back after two months to administer the booster dose. They also promised to spread the good news on the COVID-19 vaccine among other women in their various women forums and community events.