From Shots to Smiles

One of our clinical rotations was spent out in the community giving immunizations to the school children.

The community nurses and I drove out to one of the elementary schools with our supplies in tow.

We arrived at the school and I pulled out my camera to take a few photos.

(One of my favorite pictures from Tonga!)

A few boys ran up to me, posed with huge grins on their faces, and shouted "Picture, Picture!" I willingly took a photo of these handsome boys.

A few bystanders noticed me taking a picture and jumped in to get their two seconds of fame.

These boys then called their friends over to get in on all the fun.

Tongans love having their photo taken! Before I knew it, I had children knocking me down to get a photo of themselves!

How could I possibly say no to those faces?

Next came the hard part. Immunizations.

At first they were excited to see a white person, but they soon caught on to what I was going to do to them. They stood in the door with tear-filled eyes.

Tonga has a 99.9% immunization rate! It's mandatory to be immunized. The government pays for the nurses to visit every school and make sure each child receives their shots. The 0.1% that aren't immunized are the few babies they can't find.

Despite the pain I caused, they were eager to show me their battle wounds.

So what happens if a child is not at school the day the nurses come to give immunizations?

Simple, we hunt them down.

This boy wasn't at school because he was sick. We drove to his house and yelled from the van until his mother came out. The nurses explained that her son needed his immunization and she obediently brought him to us.

Now we can check him off the list.

Next on the list of absent children was this boy.

Check.

You can run, but you can't hide.

And last but not least...

Check, check!

All children found and immunized! Now we can rest peacefully tonight.