New York, Sept. 9 -- Central African Republic (CAR) has one of the lowest vaccination rates in central Africa, with less than 20 percent of children having completed a full vaccination schedule.

Constant insecurity, geographic isolation, and a weakened health infrastructure mean that many children and families are unable to access health care. In response, Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) recently collaborated with the Ministry of Health and Population to carry out a catch-up vaccination campaign in Batangafo, Ouham-Fafa prefecture to help protect children from preventable diseases.

One July morning under a cloudy sky, the MSF team in Batangafo prepared to trek to the village of Mala, 15 miles from an MSF-supported...