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Belgium gives $2 million to fight measles

    KINSHASA

    The Belgian aid agency, Cooperation Belge, has donated US $2 million towards a measles vaccination campaign being run by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), in Equateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the agency said on Thursday.

    UNICEF spokeswoman Joyce Brandful said that 12 solar-powered fridges had already been set up in five health zones in the north of the province, and were being used to preserve the vaccinations.

    The vaccination campaign is part of a UNICEF project started in July 2002 to provide urgent medical support to the population in Mongala District, northern Equateur, supported by $500,000 from Belgium.

    UNICEF reported that part of the new Belgian donation would be used to buy milk for feeding centres and to finance the organising of nutritional teams. Some of the money would also be used to buy medical equipment and medicines for health centres in 10 health zones.

    UNICEF said that in conjunction with the NGO CARITAS, it had also provided essential items such as mattresses, mosquito nets, lamps and chlorine worth $52,600 to health centres and five general reference hospitals.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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