Immunisation drive postponed in three areas of North Kivu

A measles and polio immunisation drive in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has been postponed in three of the six health zones of North Kivu Province because of insecurity, an area health official told IRIN on Thursday. "We have excluded the Walikale, Pinga and Manguregipa health zones because of the frequent fighting between the army and dissident Congolese forces," Dr Dominique Baabu, the provincial medical officer, said in Goma, the main town in the province. He said the areas excluded this time would be covered in the second round of vaccinations scheduled for 10-14 November, security conditions permitting. Phase one of the vaccination effort started on Wednesday and is due to end on Sunday. It will now cover the health zones of Lubero, 130 km northeast of Goma and those of Mwesso and Birambinzo, respectively 70 km and 80 km southwest of Goma. The campaign in North Kivu coincides with an effort that begins on Friday to immunise some 80 million children in 23 African countries against polio. UNICEF describes this as the "single-largest immunisation campaign in history". Baabu said in the health zones of the province where vaccination had occurred, turnout had been poor, most likely due to the heavy rains. Some 100,000 children are to be vaccinated against measles and 500,000 against polio in the province. The North Kivu Health Inspectorate is conducting the present vaccination in the province. [On the Net: Africa launches largest-ever immunization campaign: www.unicef.org]