Vaccination Day- OUCH

I was told by the nurse Wesley that every six months he goes to the Lutheran Church in the Location to provide inoculations for the children.  

 This saves them the 20-40 minute walk to the clinic and keeps the chaos of the children out of the clinic where there are sick people!  

There is one nurse on duty in the clinic seven days a week, from 8 to 6 each day, except for lunch time 12-1:30.

  The clinic has one day a week reserved for the pregnant women and one day a month for HIV/AIDS patients to receive care and their medication for the month, allowing a more efficient and predictable operation on the other days.  

You know which days are reserved for these patients and that there will be long lines. If you are sick, unless it is an extreme emergency, you know wait and go on the non-pregnant women, non-HIV/AIDs medication days! 

Today they are vaccinating for measles and giving de-worming medication.  There were mothers and children but also quite a few children with younger children.  Wesley and his assistant were not happy that the parents did not bring the children, because it is a good time to check the children's health with the parents and give them information about the vaccinations and other issues.  But the children had their health history books with them so they gave them the vaccinations.

As you might expect there were those who held up just fine and others who cried like they had been betrayed for life and had their arm cut off.  All were given a hug from the audience of parents, older siblings and the children gathering for the pre-school graduation ceremony about to get under way.  No suckers or lollipops were handed out but lots of sympathy!