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Measles and Malaria Campaign Launches in Togo
Written by
Lesly Hallman
, Staff Writer and Photographer, RedCross.org
Monday, December 13, 2004 — Lomé, Togo — Leaders in government, health care and business are coming together to promote Togo’s largest healthcare initiative to date, starting this week with the help of the American Red Cross and other international health and social organizations.
 Togolese Minister of Health Suzanne Aho takes questions at a press conference about the launch of the measles and malaria campaign.
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On Dec. 10, Togo’s Minister of Health, Suzanne Aho, thanked the American Red Cross for its help toward eliminating measles and malaria in her country and around Africa and pledged to make the program a regularly occurring event in her country.
“This is the best Christmas present for all children under five in Togo,” said Aho. “But we must protect all African children—not just the children of Togo. This is important for all of Africa.”
From Dec. 13-19, 480 clinics will distribute the measles vaccine to nearly 90 percent of the country’s children ages 9 months to 5 years, equaling more than 900,000 children. Another 149 mobile teams will travel to the most remote areas of Togo to vaccinate those who live more than 5 km from the closest clinic.
For the first time, this campaign will also include the distribution of treated bednets to protect families from malaria. Vitamin A drops for nutrition and pills to treat intestinal worms will also be handed out to children.
“We hope to extract lessons learned from this experience to share with other countries,” said Aho. “This integrated campaign in Togo has been able to come together because of the country’s stability and the partnership’s strength.”
Across the country, radio ads are encouraging mothers to bring their children in for the vaccine, posters are plastered across cities, towns and villages, and the Togolese Red Cross is mobilizing the public to illustrate the importance of this program.
Gagno Norbert Paniah, President of the Togolese Red Cross, welcomed a delegation of volunteers and observers from the American Red Cross to the headquarters of the country’s office and led a special tour of the facilities, including a visit to a kindergarten class next door, filled with children ages 3-5. The children acted out a play including a mother, father, child and doctor, all talking to each other about the need for bednets to prevent malaria.
 Kids at a school operated by the Togolese Red Cross celebrate after performing a play about preventing malaria..
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Malaria cases are quite common in Togo, even in a large city such as Lome, and a local children’s hospital is treating several active cases of the disease.
“There are not as many cases of measles here, as children are now very well vaccinated in this area due to the last measles campaign,” said Dr. Lawson-Hukpate, Director of Social Work for the Hospital Amis des Bebes in Togo. “But we still see a lot of malaria, in children and their parents, and the transmission of HIV from mothers to their children.”
About the Measles Initiative
Launched in 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, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization. Other key players in the fight against measles include the International Federation of the 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.
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