|
|
| UNICEF launches ambitious child health campaign in Somalia
|
|
|
| |
Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) -
Hundreds of Somali children and women have received a h
igh-impact life-saving health package from the UNICEF during the Child health Da
y
s Campaign in the Afgoye Corridor, a 30-kilometre stretch of road west of Mogadi
s
hu and the worldâ?s most densely populated settlement for the displaced.
It was the first time that child health days campaign had reached the displaced
communities in the Corridor and at least 46,000 children under-five and 37,000
w
omen of child-bearing age benefited during the five-day campaign, according to a
statement from the UN organization received here Thursday.
Afgoye currently hosts over 524,000 displaced people, who were driven out of the
ir homes due to the conflict in Mogadishu and the south. The refugees are enduri
n
g harsh living conditions and lack even the most basic social services.
The Child Health Days Campaigns are implemented across Somalia with support from
UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), in close collaboration with loc
a
l authorities and NGO partners.
In a country where routine immunization coverage is among the lowest in the worl
d, the nation-wide intervention aims to immunize every under-five child against
m
easles, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus
This is in addition to provision of Vitamin A, de-worming tablets and nutritiona
l screening for referral of malnourished children to feeding programmes. Women o
f
child bearing are also immunized against neonatal tetanus.
The Child Health Days package also includes oral rehydration salts to treat diar
rhea and water purification tablets.
â?Our joint success in implementing this large-scale outreach in the Afgoye are
a is a testament to how we can make a difference in Somalia even in the most dif
f
icult of circumstances.â? said .Rozanne Chorlton, UNICEF Representative to Somal
ia.
â?Afgoye corridor is one of the locations in Somalia where humanitarian access
is very challenging, but it is also where the impact of such an intervention is
e
xtremely critical due to the high density of population. Therefore bringing the
C
hild Health Days to Afgoye was key priority and thanks to the determination of c
o
mmunities and to UNICEFâ?s and WHOâ?s extended partnerships on the ground, vuln
erable children and women were reached with crucial services,â? she added.
More than 200 vaccinators and 300 health workers implemented the campaign in Afg
oye, making this large-scale programme possible despite poor infrastructure and
l
ack of appropriate health facilities.
The Child Health Days were launched in Somalia in December 2008, reaching during
the first round over one million children under five and 800,000 women across t
h
e country.
The intervention is repeated every six months to help promote child survival and
boost immunization rates, in addition to promoting demand for public health ser
v
ices among communities.
Organisers said the campaign had already contributed to improving immunization r
ates by achieving coverage of 60 to 80 per cent, while immunization rates in Som
a
lia over the last 10 years have been in the range of 20-30 per cent.
|
| |
| Nairobi - 12/11/2009 |
| |
|
|