Measles campaign a "spectacular success"

A measles vaccination campaign in Zambia has been hailed as a "spectacular success" by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative, Dr Stella Goings. "We are hoping to be able to join other countries that have reduced measles incidents to zero," Goings told IRIN on Wednesday. She said about 5 million children, between the ages of six months and 14 years, had been vaccinated during the week-long campaign held in June. The vaccination drive was part of a global effort to halve the number of measles deaths by 2005. Apart from saving the lives of Zambian children, the campaign also had an "important economic benefit", Goings added. "I think it's important to note that the average Zambian family spends Kwacha 35,000 to Kwacha 45,000 [about US $7.52 to US $9.67] for every episode of measles. And this is in a country where about 80 percent of the population lives on less than US $1 a day," she said. Goings commended the efforts of the government of Zambia, various national and international NGOs and church groups, in mobilising support for the campaign and raising awareness. "Everybody played their part - it was not only a national success but a national effort," she added. "Through the efforts of 17,710 committed volunteers at 3,795 vaccination posts, all types of transport were used, including bicycles, canoes and ox carts, to reach inaccessible rural areas. One of the major challenges of the campaign was to persuade resistant religious communities in remote parts of the country to vaccinate their children. This was possible due to the partnerships formed with traditional leaders, administrative authorities, the church, NGO leaders, and the military," a UNICEF statement said. The campaign used an integrated approach that also focussed on vitamin A supplementation, de-worming and malaria prevention. "In Zambia, malaria, in addition to measles, is one of the major killers of children. Every year about 60,000 Zambians die from malaria - 90 percent are children under five. A total of 75,000 Permanet [bed nets] were distributed, after measles vaccination, to every six- to 59-month-old child in five districts in Eastern and Northern provinces. The Permanet bed nets are preferred over ordinary nets, as the insecticide coverage lasts for two to three years without retreatment. Consequently, more than 80 percent of the households in the ... districts received Permanets. Before the measles campaign, about 800,000 nets were in use in Zambia, representing coverage of 27 percent," UNICEF added. The national measles campaign would serve as an example for future health campaigns and laid the groundwork for accelerating measles control.