Huge measles vaccination campaign to launch April

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Angolan government is set to launch a huge measles vaccination campaign in April that aims to reach all of the country's children. Targeting seven million children aged between nine months and 15 years, "it will be the biggest health campaign in the country's history," UNICEF spokesman James Elder told IRIN. Measles is one of Angola's biggest killers. More than 10,000 children die each year from the preventable disease, with 95 percent of cases occurring in children below 15 years of age. In the developed world, 999 out of 1,000 children will survive measles. In Angola, 100 out of 1,000 will perish. Nearly 30,000 people will be involved in the campaign spearheaded by multiple departments of the Angolan government, with key support from UNICEF, the World Health Organisation and all sectors of society, including churches and young people themselves. "One hundred thousand pamphlets have been written and distributed to educate mobilisers, vaccinators, teachers, and children. Radio broadcasts will go out in 12 indigenous languages, TV spots are ready for broadcast, and traditional village leaders galvanised to use their enormous influence with rural populations. UNICEF and Angola's Ministry of Health have recruited and trained 24,000 vaccinators nationwide and 35,000 teachers have been recruited as advocates and educators for the measles campaign," UNICEF said in a briefing note. The campaign aims to last five years to break the cycle of measles transmission. Apart from saving the lives of children in Angola, which currently has one of the world's worst under-five mortality rates, the programme will also help develop the country's infrastructure through the provision of a cold chain to store vaccines stretching across all 18 provinces. "It will be a lifesaver and infrastructure developer," Elder said. "[The campaign] will utilise all aspects of government and aid agencies in the process of rebuilding Angola." Measles is an airborne viral infection which is highly contagious. It attacks the immune system so children die of complications including diarrhoea and pneumonia. Visible signs include fever, a rash, peeling of the skin, and difficulty breathing. Measles can also cause blindness and brain damage.