Petrana Ford describes a measles vaccination campaign in West Papua.
On the outer limits of the Indonesian archipelago lies the isolated island of Papua, a region covered in impenetrable jungle, mountains and swamp.
Earlier this year, MSF started receiving reports of measles cases in Papua's southern swamplands. The people in the region are semi-nomadic, with families disappearing for weeks on end deep into the forest to fish and hunt.
MSF decided to join forces with the Ministry of Health and launch a mass vaccination campaign targeting 17,000 children.
"I have never worked in a place where the logistical constraints are so overwhelming but the needs are so evident," says MSF's field co-ordinator Dr Liliana Carrizo. "Figuring out how we can reach distant villages several days journey upstream while keeping vaccines cold in tropical heat has been a nightmare. There is nothing here but jungle and swamp, and the only form of transport is boat. Everyday there is a new obstacle to overcome." For emphasis she gestures to the mobile clinic who are presently sinking knee deep in mud as they cart their equipment from the boat to a forest hut.
Work here has been exhausting. For the last eight weeks, vaccination teams have been travelling Papua's intricate waterways, constantly moving from one village to another. As they continue their work, the overwhelming health needs of a population living with no sanitation or health education, with poor nutrition and limited access to health care, becomes more and more evident.
For the Indonesian national staff it has been a disturbing realization to see the desperate conditions others live in their country.