Behind the Scenes: How CMS is Driving the Big Catch-Up in Bayelsa State

Before the first vaccine was administered, months of planning and coordination took place to ensure a seamless rollout. CMS worked alongside local health authorities to:

• Map out high-risk areas where immunisation coverage was lowest.
• Identify zero-dose children—those who had never received a single vaccine.
• Ensure vaccine availability and proper storage to prevent stockouts.
• Develop logistics plans for reaching children in remote and underserved communities.

"Planning was key," says a CMS Bayelsa State Team Lead, Timiebiere Sabenus. "We had to think ahead, make sure the vaccines were stored properly, and plan how to reach children in hard-to-reach areas."

Through proactive coordination, CMS helped prevent logistical bottlenecks, ensuring that health workers had everything they needed to deliver vaccines efficiently.

Having vaccines available is only part of the solution—getting communities to accept them is just as crucial. In many areas, vaccine hesitancy fueled by myths, misinformation, and distrust made it challenging to achieve full coverage.

To tackle this, CMS took a community-first approach, working closely with:

• Traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community influencers to build trust.
• Caregivers and parents, addressing concerns in local languages and culturally relevant ways.
• Health workers, providing them with training and communication tools to confidently engage hesitant families.

In some communities, initial resistance was strong, but through consistent dialogue and engagement, many families who were hesitant at first brought their children for vaccination.

During the vaccination exercise, CMS provided on-the-ground support, ensuring teams worked efficiently and followed best practices.

The CMS team played a critical role in:

• Supervising field operations to ensure health workers followed vaccination protocols.
• Addressing issues of non-compliance, ensuring that no child was left behind.
• Supporting real-time data collection, allowing for accurate reporting and rapid response to any gaps in coverage.

"Our role was not just to assist in vaccine delivery; it was about making sure everything worked smoothly—from planning to execution and follow-up," explains CMS BCU Field Coordinator, Ifeoma Dialla.

By identifying and solving challenges in real time, CMS ensured that the campaign was not just effective but also sustainable.

With the next round of BCU scheduled for March 2025, CMS is already applying lessons learned from the previous phases to enhance future efforts.

But beyond catch-up campaigns, CMS is focused on the bigger picture—ensuring that children continue to receive vaccinations through routine immunisation services. By working with local health systems, training health workers, and promoting vaccine confidence, CMS is helping to build a more resilient, responsive, and sustainable immunisation ecosystem.

Through expertise, innovation, and community-driven solutions, CMS is closing the immunity gap—one vaccination at a time.

As the fight against vaccine-preventable diseases continues, CMS remains committed to ensuring that every child, no matter where they live, has access to life-saving immunisations.

With dedicated teams, strong partnerships, and a commitment to excellence, CMS is driving impact and transforming lives, not just in Bayelsa State but across communities where vaccines are needed the most.