Mothers' Concerns about Immunization: A Guide for Health Workers

This booklet is designed to support Nigeria's health workers in their interactions with mothers at vaccination sessions. It presents and then discusses some challenging questions that mothers in Lagos asked during interviews and discussions with mothers carried out in 1992 as part of several studies by the National Urban Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI)/Metropolitan Lagos Project. Each of the mothers' statements or questions - a total of 18 - is followed by short discussion of the technical issues that mothers' concerns raise.

One example: "My husband refused to let me bring the baby back for more immunization because the last time the baby received one dose of immunization, the baby fell sick". An excerpt from the suggested health care worker response: "This mother should tell her husband what the health workers have explained to her that the mild fever is normal and not harmful to the child. She could also bring in her husband to the clinic for health education."

The booklet includes suggestions such as: "Health workers should remind mothers that only by working together with them as partners can their babies' health be protected". It concludes with a list of abbreviations commonly used in Nigeria's EPI, along with definitions.

For more information, contact: Michael Neil Favin The Manoff Group 4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 454 Washington, DC 20008 United States mfavin@manoffgroup.com