A FIELD WORKER STORY FROM THE PHILIPPINES

NAME: Jai Defranciscis

FROM: Home Hill, QLD

FIELD ROLE: Nursing activity manager, Marawi, February to March 2018

At the beginning of 2018, Médecins Sans Frontières worked to urgently stem a measles outbreak in Marawi that had proven fatal for several children in the community.

“It was a race against the clock to try to get the project running as quickly as possible, to prevent the further spread of this exceptionally contagious disease. In Marawi, vaccination coverage had been complicated by the long siege, displacement and the disruption and destruction of necessary health services. Our target age group was children under five years old, as they are the most at risk of measles. Their immune system isn’t developed enough to fight off infection.

“The two major challenges were vaccine stigma and overall security. Our teams mobilised around Marawi to provide educational information sessions about measles and the benefits and safety of vaccination. We were confined to working in certain areas of the city, due to the many uncleared zones affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance left over from the siege. We had to find mosques, schools, community halls, and other prominent buildings that were still accessible, to use as vaccination sites. Due to our speedy response, we were able to stem the outbreak from getting out of control and wreaking havoc on an already weak and susceptible population.”