Parents in Nyamasheke District have been urged to actively immunize their children in order to decrease the risk of their children contracting diseases that were otherwise preventable.

The call was made by Dr. Nsabimana Damien, the Director of Kibogora Hospital, while launching the week dedicated to children and young adults earlier this week.

The week has been highlighted by throngs of children being immunized against diseases such as Cholera and Dysentry for children aged from 9 months to 15 years, Cervical Cancer shots for school-girls in primary six, and Vitamin A shots for both babies aged between 6 months and 5 years, and their mothers as well (those who are 6 months removed from delivering).

Dr. Nsabimana Damien stressed that there are cases of children falling sick and even sometimes dying unnecessarily due to diseases that can be easily prevented with a single immunization shot.

He further pointed out that even when children contract a disease that they were immunized against; it is easier and cheaper to administer treatment since the severity of the disease is greatly decreased.

Parents were also sensitized on other issues relevant to disease prevention such as cleanliness and sleeping under a sleeping net. Here it was mentioned that some locals, mainly due to ignorance, misuse the free sleeping nets with which they are supplied, opting to use them instead as caging for chicken houses, others still use them in fishing expeditions to trap sardines in the nearby Lake Kivu, as has been found to be the case in some households.

Dr. Nsabimana seized the opportunity to appeal to all parents and guardians to safeguard these policies of immunization, cleanliness and using sleeping nets, which can have positive results on standards of living such as the complete and total eradication of malaria and other diseases.