Vaccination campaign struggling

Campaigns to vaccinate children in Lebanon against measles and polio have been hampered by security and logistical problems, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). Because the vaccines, in particular for polio, are sensitive to heat, they must be kept in refrigerators and transported in covered trucks. But, “from the start of the crisis, the Israeli Defense Forces has made clear that it will consider any covered trucks targets,” said Unicef spokesman Simon Ingram. “This means that we have had to wait for security clearance to deliver the goods.” It can take several days to get security clearances from Israeli authorities, who are concerned that covered trucks could be used by Hezbollah to transport weapons. “We very much hope that the urgency of the situation will be communicated [to the relevant authorities] and that vital shipments [of the vaccines] will be allowed in safely and on time,” added Ingram. Israel began its military offensive against Lebanon on 12 July after the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party with a military wing. To date, more than 700,000 people have been internally displaced in Lebanon, according to the country’s Higher Relief Council. With the only remaining highway route to Beirut from the Syrian border bombed on 3 August, the task of getting essential vaccines to the needy has become more difficult. “We are facing difficulties transporting the necessary vaccines from Damascus,” said Ingram. “The main routes into Beirut have been cut. Now, even with just a limited amount of detours, journey time has been increased by about two hours.” Annick Hamel, Head of Mission of Médecins Sans Frontières, said her organisation was bringing very few supplies from Damascus for this reason. “Many of the truck drivers refuse to travel on this route anymore,” she said. “They’ve seen the bombed remains of other trucks along the road and decided it’s not worth the risk.” Hamel said MSF did not bring in vaccinations but rather general medicine and non-food items. Because of poor access and security problems associated with road travel, the agency has been using Greenpeace ships from Cyprus to transport most of its supplies to Lebanon. Unicef, meanwhile, launched its campaign on 3 August to vaccinate displaced children against measles and polio. The children’s agency is working with other UN bodies, including the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the World Health Organisation and the World Food Programme, as well as Lebanese civil society. “Since the start of this week, Unicef has been working to vaccinate an initial target group of 18,000 children aged up to 15 years in the Beirut area,” said Ingram. Another 55,000 children nationwide would be targeted next week. Official estimates indicate that approximately one-quarter of Lebanon’s population (estimated at four million) had been displaced since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. An estimated 45 percent are children. With increased overcrowding in the temporary shelters where displaced families have taken refuge, children are at risk of falling ill with potentially deadly diseases. “Immunisation is vital in a crisis like this one,” said Unicef Lebanon representative Roberto Laurenti. “The last thing these distressed and fearful families need is to have their children fall victim to a potentially fatal disease.” SA/AR/ED/MW