section 3
Immunization and supplements
4-5 months
meeting
17
Let’s review:
Once the meeting starts, welcome everyone and ask the participants: • Who can help us remember what we talked about in our last meeting? • Who was able to do the activity at home that we asked you to do at the end of the meeting? How did it go? • Does anyone have questions or concerns after doing the activity?
What are we going to learn?
Review what we learned about vitamin A (Meeting 9), how it strengthens the defenses of the baby and the role that iron and iodine play in promoting health. Let’s talk about it! We are going to look at some pictures so we can talk about what we know about the topic.
How did it go the last time you had to immunize a child? Tell us about it. Why is it important to vaccinate and provide vitamin A for children?
What things do you do as a parent to make sure that your baby is getting the vaccinations vitamins he or she needs?
section 3 / 4-5 months • meeting 17
66
Activity:
“The most important list” We are going to review the different vaccinations and vitamins that babies need.
What we’ll need: • Big sheets of paper
WHAT WE’LL DO: • Markers • Before the meeting, asks the parents to bring their vaccination card to the next meeting. • Write the names of the vaccinations that a baby should get during the first year of his or her life (DPT, Polio, Measles, German Measles, Mumps, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B) one on each big sheet of paper and put them on the wall. • Divide the group into six groups and position each group in front of a sheet of paper with the name of the vaccination on it. • Then give them a few minutes to write down what they know about the vaccine: What is it? What does it prevent? When is it administered? What reaction can it cause in babies? Tell them they can consult their vaccination cards. • After the first five minutes are up, tell each group to take turns reading what they wrote on their sheet. Tell the rest of the groups they can add more information o correct anything that doesn’t seem right to them. • To finish up, help read over what was written and clarify any doubts. • Lastly remind the group of the importance of vitamins in strengthening a baby’s defenses, especially vitamin A. You can ask the group to make a list of Vitamin A rich foods that can help the nursing mother get the nutrients she needs. Other suggestions: At the end of the meeting look over the vaccination cards that the parents brought and make sure the children have gotten the shots they need. If they don’t have them all, encourage the parents to take their child to the nearest clinic.
Summing Up:
What did we learn today? Now, we’ll review what we discussed today. • How do you feel after this meeting? Why? • What are the two most important things you’ve learned today? • What will you do differently based on what you learned during the meeting? • What did you like the most? Are there things you didn’t like? • Do you have any remaining concerns or questions about what we talked about?
Facilitator’s Manual
67 To finish, what would you recommend to improve today’s meeting when we do it again with another group. (Explain that answering this question will help the meeting be even better in the future for parents with small children.)
To do at home:
• The mothers who are breastfeeding should eat foods rich in vitamin A. • The parents should take their child to be vaccinated on the day indicated on the card, if they cannot go that day they should go as soon as possible after that date.
Basic information for the facilitator: Learning more about immunization and supplements: What is Anemia? • Anemia — a lack of iron — can impair physical and mental development. • Symptoms of anemia include paleness of the tongue, the palms of the hands and the inside of the lips, tiredness and breathlessness. Anemia is the most common nutritional disorder in the world. What problems does Anemia cause? • Even mild anemia in infants and young children can impair intellectual development. • Anemia in children under two years of age may cause problems with coordination and balance, and anemic children may appear withdrawn and hesitant. This can limit the child’s ability to interact and play and may hinder intellectual development. • Anemia in pregnant women and adolescents increases the severity of hemorrhage and the risk of infection during birth and is therefore a significant cause of maternal mortality. Infants born to anemic mothers often suffer from low birth weight and anemia. • Malaria and hookworm can cause or worsen anemia. How to prevent and treat anemia • Pregnant women should take iron supplements to protect both them and their babies from anemia. • Everyone should eat enough of the foods containing iron: liver, lean meats, eggs and pulses. • Buying foods fortified with iron also helps prevent anemia.
section 3 / 4-5 months • meeting 17
68 What is iodine? • Iodine is an essential nutrient to prevent learning disabilities and delayed development in children. • Small amounts of iodine are essential for children’s growth and development. What problems does lack of iodine cause? • If a child does not get enough iodine, or if his or her mother is iodine-deficient during pregnancy, the child is more likely to be born with a mental, hearing or speech disability, or may have delayed physical or mental development. Even mild deficiency can cause a significant loss of learning ability. • Goitre, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland that causes a swelling of the neck, is a sign of iodine deficiency in the diet. • Iodine deficiency in early pregnancy carries a high risk of stillbirth, miscarriage, and increased infant mortality. How can people get enough iodine? • Iodine is found in sea fish and liver oil. It is also found, in smaller amounts, in milk, meat and cereals. Using iodized salt instead of ordinary salt provides pregnant women and children with as much iodine as they need.
Facilitator’s Manual