My Fifteen Minutes of Fame
on Shona in Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone), 09/Jun/2011 18:30, 34 days ago
This week I will get my fifteen minutes of fame (probably more like one by the time I’ve been edited!). The BBC were here in SL a couple of weeks ago filming with GAVI (the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations) about the new vaccines which are being introduced here. Nearly two million children die each year from vaccine-preventable illnesses. Most of these deaths occur in low-income countries. Pneumonia and diarrhoea are the two leading killers, causing nearly 40% of all childhood deaths. (All stats from the GAVI website). It is really exciting that Sierra Leone is one of the first developing countries to introduce vaccines against the most common causes of pneumonia and diarrhoea. Clearly they will make a big difference to child morbidity and mortality in SL in the long run.Here are the terrible statistics for Sierra Leone. One in eight women dies (over their lifetime) as a result of childbirth. Sierra Leone has the world’s worst indicators for infant mortality (123 deaths per 1000 live births). One in five children dies before their fifth birthday. Sierra Leone ranks 180th out of 182 countries for overall development. There are 2 doctors per 100,000 population (230 in the UK). I know only too well that there is adrastic drastic shortage of well-trained health care workers here.Enough statistics. Fergus Walsh (BBC health correspondent) and the film crew came on the ward round with me in TFC and chatted with some parents (slightly bizarre as I had seen some of those patients on the ward round already– which the Mums thought was so funny!) After the ward round I was interviewed about my experiences here in SL. I spoke about working with the doctors, nurses and medical students and about the patients we see, and how they are dying from preventable illnesses. I was also interviewed for some papers and had another whole load of photos taken (in addition to the VSO Photographer a few weeks ago).So my minute of fame will be on either 10th or 13th June (not sure which!) on the BBC news, to coincide with a meeting which GAVI is holding in London on 13th June entitled“Saving Children’s Lives” with the aim of bringing together donors to fund immunisation in the world’s poorest countries.