Measles, polio vaccination drive targets Saada children

A 12-day measles and child polio vaccination campaign began on 17 April in parts of the troubled northern Yemeni governorate of Saada, targeting over 209,000 children, health officials say.



All under fives in seven of the governorate’s 15 districts will be vaccinated against both measles and polio. Those aged 5-15 will be vaccinated against measles, Hinbush Hussein Hinbush, head of the Public Health and Population Office (PHPO) in Saada, told IRIN.



Faisal Safir, the campaign coordinator, told IRIN the districts of Saada city, Sehar, Ricab al-Buqa, al-Hishwa, al-Safraa, Majaz and Baqem would be covered over the next week or so, and the remaining eight districts would be covered “within the next couple of months".



The campaign began with the vaccination of children in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Saada city, he said, adding that eventually all children in the governorate would be vaccinated, “including those living with their families in IDP camps and outside the camps."



Saada Governorate and some surrounding areas have been affected by intermittent fighting between government forces and Houthi-led Shia rebels since 2004. The most recent ceasefire agreement was signed on 13 February 2010.



“The mission is running smoothly in Saada city with no obstacles reported. We fear that obstacles may face teams in rural areas where some violations are reportedly committed by some anonymous groups - believed to be Houthi followers. Another problem is landmines in these areas," he said.



The campaign is being run by the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP) with support from Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). A total of 226 two-member teams and 14 supervisors (two in each district) are being deployed to carry out the exercise.



Saada governor Taha Hajer called on all mosque preachers, media personnel and local dignitaries to help increase public awareness about the risk of measles, which he described as a deadly disease in Yemen, and encourage parents to bring children to vaccination centres.



Measles cases



PHPO's Hinbush said 102 measles cases had been confirmed since 1 April. "There may be many cases in other remote areas but they don't go to labs for examinations," he said.



According to a March 2010 report by MoPHP, 157 cases of measles in Saada Governorate IDP camps had been identified, but no deaths reported.



A previously planned campaign for December 2009, it said, could not take place because of clashes between government troops and Houthi rebels.



"Measles is fourth on the list of diseases causing child deaths in Yemen," the report said.



According to WHO, some 5,060 child IDPs under five in the three al-Mazraq camps in neighbouring Hajjah Governorate were vaccinated against measles and polio 12-17 December 2009.



It said only 26,525 children in Saada Governorate, mostly in IDP camps, had been vaccinated against measles, adding that "thousands of children were deprived of the vaccine as their areas remained inaccessible."



"Yemen was about to be declared a measles-free country, but too many infected cases have been reported in Saada," Omar Mujalli, deputy minister of public health and population, said at the launch of the campaign.



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