Strange deaths: Delta youths reject yellow fever vaccination

Paul Osuyi, Asaba

Mild drama ensued at Uto-Ukpu community in Okay North-East Local Government Area of Delta State where youths initially resisted the yellow fever outbreak response vaccination campaign of the state government.

The mass vaccination was in response to deaths recorded in some communities within the local government area, which was later diagnosed to be as a result of yellow fever infection.

But the youths of Uto-Ukpu had insisted that the strange deaths earlier witnessed were not medically related, maintaining that the deaths were as a result of atrocities committed against a deity.

The situation was, howver, arrested with the intervention of influential persons of the community.

In other communities including Idumesah, Owa-Oyibu and Akumazi where the state primary healthcare development agency carried out the exercise, the turn out was impressive.

A client in Owa-Oyibu, Amos Agbodo who is the ward development committee chairman, expressed joy for government quick diagnosis of the ailment responsible for the strange deaths.

He said he would mobilize and bring other residents to the vaccination point to be vaccinated.

Also, the focal person of Akumazi Ward and a Matron, Eunice Odiase revealed that the community took ownership of the vaccination campaign.

She said in order to meet the large turnout which exceeded daily target coverage, the health teams had to extend vaccinating till night to ensure everyone was reached.

The Local Health Educator, Mrs. Hope Nkechi attributed the high turnout to the mobilization and health promotion carried out.

The social mobilizer said town announcers, community mobilizers, rallies to market, letters to schools, mosques and churches and the use of influential persons were the strategies employed.