Immunisation drive resumes in northwest

Health authorities resumed on Monday the immunisation of children in the northwestern Central African Republic towns of Bozoum, Paoua, Bocaranga and Ngaoundaye, which had been cut off for a year by war and insecurity, state-owned Radio Centrafrique reported. "Children who were born between October 2002 and now were not vaccinated," Xavier Tomanga, the area's chief medical officer, said on the radio from Bozoum. He said vaccination against tuberculosis, diptheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles and yellow fever started on Monday at all local health facilities in the area. He did not reveal the number of children targeted in the effort but called on parents to bring their children and those still hiding in the bush to the nearest health centre. The area around Bozoum was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting during the six-month rebellion by Francois Bozize that ended in March with the overthrow of President Ange-Felix Patasse. Health facilities in the area were either destroyed or looted. The state power utility, the Energie de Centrafrique, or Enerca, also suspended services, due to the insecurity. However, electricity supplies were restored recently and an Italian NGO, Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI), has been able to rehabilitate and provide drugs to most health centres in the war-affected north, with funds from the EC's humanitarian office, ECHO. The immunisation drive resumes as the International Committee of Red Cross and COOPI have ordered freezers for vaccines to be delivered to the north.