Asia PR News

WASHINGTON, June 29 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ –

More than 63 million children to be vaccinated through 2008

The government of Pakistan is launching a new phase of the largest-ever
national measles vaccination campaign, with a goal of reaching more than 63
million children by March 2008. This campaign will protect millions of children
against measles in Pakistan, and will also be a significant step toward
reaching the global goal of reducing measles deaths by 90 percent by the year
2010 (compared to 2000).
"Pakistan is a priority country in the global fight against measles. On
behalf of the partners of the Measles Initiative, I commend the government of
Pakistan for its leadership in this life-saving work. The partners in the
Measles Initiative are proud to stand with the Government of Pakistan in
fostering a healthier future for the children of Pakistan," said Kathy Bushkin
Calvin, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the United
Nations Foundation. "In Pakistan and around the world we will continue our
work to eliminate measles deaths altogether."
An estimated 21,000 children die from measles and its complications in
Pakistan each year. From July 2 through 18, 2007, 1.5 million children aged 9
months to 13 years will be vaccinated against measles in eight districts in
the western province of Balochistan. To reach the goal, the national campaign
is being conducted in phases throughout the country from March 2007 to March
2008.
The first phase of the campaign was conducted in March 2007 in four
districts — Mirpur, Mardan, Gujrat, and Dadu — and successfully reached 96
percent of children in the target age group. In the current phase, more than
600 vaccination teams comprised of nearly 3,200 trained health staff and
social mobilization volunteers will work throughout the 17-day campaign,
reaching children in remote rural areas of the province. Volunteers will
support community outreach efforts by informing mothers and caretakers about
the importance of measles vaccinations and where to take their children to get
vaccinated.
This campaign is led by the government of Pakistan, with financial and
technical support from the Measles Initiative. Measles mortality reduction
activities in Pakistan have also benefited from financial assistance provided
by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization for strengthening their
routine immunization system. In addition, the field staff from the Global
Polio Eradication Initiative has also played a major role in supporting the
planning and implementation of vaccination campaigns and disease surveillance
in Pakistan.
"We are working in partnership, both locally and globally, to fulfill our
commitment to make measles vaccinations accessible to every child in
Pakistan," said David Meltzer, Senior Vice President of International Services
for the American Red Cross. "Pakistan’s mountainous terrain, compounded by
damage from recent natural disasters and the sheer numbers of children needing
vaccinations, will make this one of the most challenging measles campaigns
yet."
The Measles Initiative is a partnership led by the American Red Cross,
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UN Foundation, UNICEF and the
World Health Organization (WHO). Largely through the commitment of national
governments and support from the Measles Initiative, measles deaths were
reduced by more than 60 percent globally between 1999 and 2005. This surpassed
the global goal of reducing measles deaths by more than 50 percent (compared
to 1999).
Now, the Initiative is focusing on an ambitious new goal of lowering
measles deaths worldwide by 90 percent by 2010. To reach this goal, the
Initiative is supporting follow-up campaigns in Africa to vaccinate the
children born since the initial vaccination campaigns, along with first-time
vaccination campaigns in countries where the measles burden remains high.
Among countries that have yet to carry out a national measles vaccination
campaign, Pakistan is one of the most important countries because of its large
population and high number of children at risk of measles.
The Measles Initiative is a partnership committed to reducing measles
deaths globally. Launched in 2001, the Measles Initiative-led by the American
Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization-provides technical
and financial support to governments and communities on vaccination campaigns
in all regions of the world. To date, the Initiative has supported the
vaccination of more than 372 million children helping to reduce measles deaths
by more than 60 percent globally (compared to 1999). To learn more or make a
donation, visit www.measlesinitiative.org
Other key players in the fight against measles include: the Global
Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), Global Payments, Inc.,
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA), the Japanese Agency for Development
Cooperation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Becton, Dickinson and
Company, the Izumi Foundation, the Vodafone Group Foundation, the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ExxonMobil, and countries and governments
affected by measles.

SOURCE American Red Cross
-0- 06/29/2007
/CONTACT: Carol Miller or Michael Oko of American Red Cross, Washington,
DC, +1-202-303-5551; or Amy DiElsi of UN Foundation, Washington, DC,
+1-202-419-3230; or Jessica Malter of UNICEF New York, +1-212-326-7412; or
Steven Stewart of CDC Atlanta, +1-404-639-8327; or Hayatee Hasan of WHO
Geneva, +41-22-791-2103/
/Web site: http://www.redcross.org
http://www.measlesinitiative.org /