UNICEF protects cyclone-affected children against measles in Laputta Township

© UNICEF Myanmar/2008/ Myo Thame

In response to the fear of an outbreak in Laputta Township, UNICEF has vaccinated about 1,000 children between the ages of nine months and five years against measles.

LAPUTTA TOWNSHIP, Myanmar, 20 May 2008 – Most of Laputta Township was destroyed under a wall of water when Cyclone Nargis struck at the beginning of May. The residents of this hard-hit town are now struggling to rebuild their lives in the wake of the tragedy. They are also coping with the threat of disease.

UNICEF has begun a measles vaccination campaign in Laputta at the same time as United Nations Under-Secretary General, James Holmes met with leaders of Myanmar’s military government to discuss ways to improve relief efforts. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will also visit the region this week.

Food and medicine are getting through to cyclone survivors, but not nearly enough to meet the enormous need. The United Nations estimates that 70 per cent of those affected by the storm have not received food aid.

Many people are sleeping outdoors with no bedding and no protection from the weather. Latrines have been shipped in, but more are needed. Water sources have been contaminated by flooding.

Children in need

The official death toll from the disaster has been estimated at approximately 77,740 with nearly 56,000 missing. About 2.5 million people are estimated to have been affected by the cyclone.

UNICEF estimates that one million children may be in need of immediate assistance. Fear of an outbreak of deadly disease grows by the day.

The camps where survivors have gathered are disorganised and lack good sanitation. This, coupled with the shortage of food, raises grave concerns about children’s health; diseases like measles can become big killers in such situations.

Already about thirty per cent of the children in the township are suffering from diarrhoea or dysentery.

Fear of a measles outbreak

“My greatest single fear is a very large measles outbreak, especially in some of these camps,” said UNICEF Chief of Health Dr. Peter Salama.

In Laputta Township, UNICEF has vaccinated about 1,000 children between the ages of nine months and five years against measles. Health workers are giving the children’s mothers tetanus shots.

This is just one of seventy assessment and relief missions that are travelling throughout the storm-ravaged Irrawaddy, distributing essential supplies and working to stem an outbreak of preventable disease.