Afghanistan: Large increases in measles prompt nationwide measles vaccination campaign
A reduction in immunization coverage in recent years in Afghanistan has resulted in sharp increases in the vaccine preventable disease, measles in the strife-torn country, according to an Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), the humanitarian news and analysis service of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report Nov. 1.
Image/CIA
The report states since the start of the last Afghan winter, in November 2011, 9,000 measles cases were reported across almost every province in the country, as compared to 3,000 cases over the same period the year before.
In addition, more than 300 children have died from the viral, respiratory disease during to this period.
Vaccination coverage in Afghanistan has been a challenge due to many factors – rising insecurity, decreased access, difficult terrain and harsh winters that cut off thousands of villages, to name a few.
“Day by day, the security situation becomes worse and our access to the people for providing health services becomes more limited,” said Sayed Zubair Sadat, with the Afghan Red Crescent Society.
Experts say nearly 30 percent of the population has no or very poor access to primary health care, including immunization, and the percentage is estimated to be as high as 70 percent in areas of conflict in the south.
In an effort to get Afghanis vaccinated, the World Health Organization-Afghanistan will join the Afghanistan Ministry of Health National Immunization Programme to launch a second nationwide measles vaccination campaign in November.
This campaign will target 18 provinces and reach approximately 5 million children (nine months–10 years); thus ensuring a country-wide outreach: last July, more than 6 million received measles vaccine in the other 16 provinces.
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