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Measles Initiative Readies for Latest African Vaccination Campaign
Written by
Lesly C. Simmons
, Staff Writer, RedCross.org
Thursday, December 08, 2005 — The American Red Cross and its partners in the Measles Initiative partners are planning another major measles vaccination campaign for Africa, this time in the western country of Benin during the week of Dec. 12.
In Benin, the Measles Initiative will support the country’s efforts toward vaccinating 1.3 million children, which will ultimately save nearly 2,000 lives. Children also will be given mebendazole, a de-worming medicine and vitamin A to boost immune systems. All of these services are provided free of charge.
The Initiative has grown since its beginning in 2001, and by the end of 2005 will have facilitated the vaccination of more than 200 million children against measles, saving 1.2 million lives. Because of the Initiative’s success, measles cases and deaths have dropped 60 percent in Africa since 1999.
Millions of children across Africa have benefited from vaccinations supported by the Measles Initiative.
(Photo credit: Lesly Simmons/American Red Cross)
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“This marks a milestone in public health, and shows how partners working together can accomplish great good at high speed with low cost,” said Dr. Mark Grabowsky, CDC Technical Advisor to the American Red Cross. “It lays a good foundation for both expanding into other geographical areas, such as Asia, and provides a model for delivering other health services, such as malaria bed nets.”
A delegation from the American Red Cross will attend the launch and visit vaccination sites during the campaign. The visitors will be joined by celebrity guests Academy Award winning actor and entertainment icon Sidney Poitier and Sherry Lansing, former chairman of Paramount Pictures and a member of the Red Cross Board of Governors.
Benin is a country of nearly 7.5 million people, nestled between Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger. Benin hosted a previous vaccination campaign in 2001, and each of the surrounding countries also has hosted Measles Initiative campaigns.
By the end of 2005, the Measles Initiative will have reached more than 45 million children in 13 African nations for the year. In January the American Red Cross expanded its tsunami relief efforts by committing $35 million to the United Nations Foundation (UN Foundation) to support vaccinations for children in tsunami-affected areas through the Measles Initiative. So far, one million children already have been vaccinated in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
In total, the American Red Cross has committed $95 million to measles vaccinations in Asia and Africa.
In keeping with its ambitious work, Measles Initiative partners plan to further expand vaccination campaigns to South East Asia, reaching 47 priority countries with a goal of substantially reducing measles deaths by 2009.
To view the progress of the Benin campaign visit the Measles Initiative online.
The Measles Initiative is a partnership committed to reducing measles deaths globally. Launched in 2001, the Initiative—led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization—provides technical and financial support to governments and communities on vaccination campaigns worldwide. To date, the Initiative has supported the vaccination of more than 500 million children in 50 countries helping reduce measles deaths by more than 68% globally and 91% in Africa (compared to 2000). To learn more or make a donation, visit www.measlesinitiative.org.
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