Measles vaccination to target 30,000 displaced children in Dili

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2006-06-13 16:13

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서울--(뉴스와이어)--유니세프는 동티모르의 이재민 어린이를 돕기 위해 6월 13일부터 홍역예방접종을 실시하였습니다. 이번 예방접종캠페인의 목표는 3만 명입니다.

The Ministry of Health and UNICEF will launch a mass measles vaccination campaign on 13 June targeting all children aged 6 months to 14 years living in displacement camps in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste.

The aim is to vaccinate an estimated 30,000 children living in more than 50 camps in Dili in the first 7 days of the two-week campaign. Children aged 6-59 months will also be given vitamin A supplements to boost their immunity and de-worming tablets. Vaccines, supplied by UNICEF, will be administered mainly by health workers living in the camps. Two vaccinators will serve each camp, although more will conduct immunizations in the biggest shelters. One measles dose is sufficient to inoculate a child for life.

Scores of volunteers have been mobilized to spread word about the campaign and UNICEF and its partners are distributing information materials in the camps to explain to parents why measles vaccination and vitamin A supplementation for their children are crucial.

“Children who are weak, malnourished, and living in crowded and unsanitary conditions are especially vulnerable to measles infection, which can spread rapidly,” said Arnold Calo-oy, UNICEF Project Officer for immunization in Timor-Leste. “Measles vaccination coverage of Timorese children below one is around 50%, which leaves a lot of children at risk of the disease in this emergency.”

Screening of young children for malnutrition will also be carried out during the campaign. Severely malnourished children will be referred to hospital and moderately malnourished children will be given supplementary feeding. Before the crisis, around half of all children below 5 in Timor-Leste were underweight.

In the second week of the campaign, health workers will vaccinate children living either at home or with host families in the capital and surrounding areas.

Around 70,000 people are living in makeshift camps in Dili, which has been plagued by civil unrest since late April. Another 70,000 Dili residents have moved to the districts and are living either in camps or with extended or host families.

유니세프한국위원회 개요
유니세프한국위원회는 한국에서 유니세프를 대표하는 기관(비영리법인)으로서 한국위원회의 주된 임무는 세계 어린이를 위해 국내에서 세계 어린이 현황과 유니세프 활동을 널리 알려 어린이돕기 기금을 조성하는 것입니다. 또한, 아동의 권리 홍보 및 모유수유 권장, 세계교육 등의 사업을 통해 어린이 권리를 신장하는 활동도 함께 펼쳐 나갑니다. 유니세프한국위원회가 국내에서 펼치는 모든 활동은 유니세프가 전세계적으로 펼치고 있는 어린이 구호활동을 지지하기 위한 것입니다.

웹사이트: http://www.unicef.or.kr