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Zambia Mass Measles Vaccination Campaign First on Measles Initiative's 2003 ScheduleCampaign introduces additional health interventions including malaria preventionWASHINGTON, June 6, 2003 —The Measles Initiative will carry out its first mass measles campaign of the year June 8-13 in Zambia. All at-risk children between the ages of nine months and 14 years old will be vaccinated. In addition, vitamin A will be distributed to children under five years old to help improve overall child health. In all, approximately 5.2 million children are targeted to be vaccinated (approximately 45% of the Zambian population), saving an estimated 4,000 lives annually. The campaign goal is to bring measles deaths to near zero in Zambia. Each year, measles kills nearly 800,000 children; 450,000 of those deaths are in Africa. Measles is one of the five major causes of childhood illness and is a leading cause of childhood mortality in Zambia. Outbreaks of measles continue to occur seasonally and sporadically in both rural and urban districts of the country. There were 33,518 reported measles cases in 2001with approximately half occurring in children under five years old. Mass vaccination campaigns are key to reducing measles deaths in countries where routine immunization does not reach at least 90% of the targeted population, the percentage needed to stop transmission of the disease. Campaigns are a second opportunity for measles vaccinations with emphasis on hard to reach communities and are carried out for several days for children in the targeted age range. Follow-up campaigns occur three to four years after the initial mass campaigns for children under five years of age who were born since the first mass campaign. The Zambia campaign is the first of 14 campaigns for year three of the Measles Initiative. In the first year of the Initiative (2001) more than 20 million children were vaccinated preventing over 47,000 deaths. Countries scheduled to host campaigns in 2003 include: Zambia, Rwanda, Senegal, Angola, Uganda, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Eritrea, Gambia, Lesotho, Namibia, Ethiopia, DR Congo and Cote d’Ivoire. So far, the Initiative has carried out mass measles vaccination campaigns in 12 countries, vaccinating more than 64 million children and saving nearly 100,000 lives. Helping to combat the fight against other deadly diseases, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Federation) and UNICEF have procured 75,000 insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to hang over beds for protection against mosquitoes. ITNs are a simple measure in the combat against malaria and will be distributed to every parent accompanying a child to designated vaccination posts. Zambian Red Cross volunteers will also make follow-up visits to homes to insure they are being properly used. According to the World Health Organization, malaria is the leading cause of death among children under five years old in Africa. “Clinical trials have demonstrated that insecticide-treated bed nets prevent malaria,” said Dr. Mark Grabowsky, senior technical advisor for the American Red Cross. “The problem has been in distributing them to all of the families with children under five years old. By giving out ITNs during measles vaccination campaigns, we can achieve very high coverage.” Using ITNs led to a 17% decrease in all-cause child mortality for families that participated in a previous clinical trial in Ghana during December 2002. Right to Play, a humanitarian organization committed to improving the lives of the most disadvantaged children and their communities, has also joined the Zambia campaign to support community social mobilization through sport and play. Sports festivals in selected districts will be held with the support of Kalusha Bwalya, a well known Zambian footballer as the face of the campaign. “Social mobilization is crucial in hard to reach areas,” said Dr. Ed Hoekstra, Senior Advisor of the Global Measles Program for UNICEF. “By reaching out to mothers and caretakers we can make sure that no child is missed and measles transmission can be stopped.” Partners supporting the Zambia campaign also include The Zambia Red Cross Society (social mobilization and ITN distribution), The Federation (ITNs), Ministry of Health (logistics and country policies), USAID (logistical support), Right To Play (social mobilization support ), and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) (funding of bundled measles vaccines, ITNs, vitamin A and operational costs). Launched in February 2001, the Measles Initiative is a long-term commitment to control measles deaths in Africa by vaccinating 200 million children and preventing 1.2 million deaths over five years. Leading this effort is the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO). Other key players in the fight against measles include the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and countries and governments affected by measles. While the Measles Initiative is focused in Africa where the majority of measles-related deaths occur, partners also work on a wide-range of health initiatives around the world, including measles control and other vaccination services outside of Africa. For more information about the Measles Initiative, log on to www.measlesinitiative.org. To make a financial contribution, call 1-800 HELP NOW or to make a secure online donation, log on to www.measlesinitiative.org. CONTACTS:
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