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By NewsDesk @ bactiman63
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that more than 690,000 children between the ages of 6 and 59 months have been vaccinated since the second phase of the measles monitoring campaign began just over a week ago.
The campaign was led by South Sudanese health officials in concert with global health agencies.
More than 6,000 trained vaccinators are campaigning using facility-based services to reach all eligible children no matter where they live.
Since the beginning of the year, 1,115 measles cases and 10 deaths have been reported in South Sudan, all cases in children under the age of five.
Vaccinating all children against measles can eliminate measles as a cause of death. This will only be possible if the immunity of the population was maintained at more than 95% for prolonged periods by routine immunizations and complementary activities.
“The commitment of health workers to reach as many children as possible amid the COVID-19 pandemic and severe flooding is truly commendable,” said Dr Olushayo Olu, WHO Representative for Sudan from the south. “Implementing vaccination campaigns is a great opportunity to reach children with life-saving interventions.”
Since July 2020, severe flooding in South Sudan has forced nearly 1 million people to flee their homes and increases the risk of measles cases with the potential for explosive outbreaks in congested camps.
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