A baby girl watches a health worker inject a vaccine against measles into her arm at a hospital in Bossangoa, the town where a national immunization campaign is being launched. The Government, UNICEF and partner NGOs are providing vaccines against measles to children under five at 885 locations around the country.In December 2008 in the Central African Republic, a Government-launched immunization campaign supported by UNICEF and several NGOs administered measles vaccines to over 660,000 children under the age of five. As part of the campaign, UNICEF also distributed soap and insecticide-treated mosquito nets to over 740,000 children and their mothers. The efforts aim to improve child survival in one of the worlds least developed countries, where access to health care and clean water is now also disrupted by an ongoing civil conflict. Over 17 per cent of children die before their fifth birthdays, many from malnutrition, waterborne diseases or vaccine-preventable illnesses. In the past year, UNICEF has responded to multiple health crises in the country, including yellow fever outbreaks, by supporting hand-washing campaigns and immunization programmes. The immunization campaign against measles was launched in Bossangoa, a town in the conflict-affected north-western region.
Agency, UNICEF Want Traditional, Religious Leaders To Fight Child Killer Diseases
The Taraba State Primary Health Care Development Agency (TSPHCDA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have urged traditional rulers, religious leaders and other organisations to join in the fight against measles, yellow fever, meningitis and other child killer diseases in the state.
They made the appeal at a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Agency with UNICEF’s support, at the weekend.
The Agency’s Executive Secretary, Alhaji Aminu Hassan Jauro, who spoke through the state’s Director, Disease Control and Immunisation, Dr. Kenneth Tijos, said the government had put in place all needed plans that would make the exercise a success.
The exercise, according to him, would last for 10 days.
He also revealed that the state had joined other states to implement campaigns on yellow fever, meningitis and measles.
The State Health Educator, Mercy Maigoge, said the exercise would help to eradicate all child killer diseases in the state, and the country at large.
She advised everyone to give the agency and health workers the much-needed cooperation during the exercise.
