Maniema: over 80% of women are unaware of the vaccination schedule (EPI coordination)

Kindu, Jul 29^th, 2025 (CPA).- More than 80% of women in Maniema province, in the centre-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are unaware of their children’s vaccination schedule, according to statistics provided during a workshop organised by the Partnerships Unit of Radio Okapi, it is learned on Tuesday from a health sources. « Dear workshop participants, media professionals and community leaders, we would like to inform you that more than 80% of women in the province are unaware of their children’s vaccination schedule. The reasons for this lack of awareness are the ineffectiveness of the services specialising in raising awareness of the vaccination schedule,  and the fact that registered nurses do not give appointments to parents who are supposed to follow all the vaccination phases, » has declared Dr Faustin Yanu, interim coordinator of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) in Maniema.  He has said that the main objective of the workshop is to equip participants with the technical knowledge they need to raise awareness in their communities about routine vaccination and the fight against polio, which is most prevalent in Maniema province. He has called for the involvement of community leaders and media professionals in supporting women so that they can keep track of their children’s vaccination schedules.  Dr Yanu has pointed out that the vaccination schedule is not only a duty for these women and for the government, but also a right for children guaranteed by Law No. « 18/035 of December 13^th, 2018″, which establishes the fundamental principles for the organisation of public health in DRC. It is in this context that he promised the commitment of the PVE/Maniema to implement awareness-raising mechanisms for women so that they, in turn, can take control of the vaccination schedule and continue to properly vaccinate their children. The routine vaccination is an excellent way to effectively combat vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, whooping cough, tuberculosis and others. CPA/