Press
Centre
Five Leading Global Health Organizations
Announce a New Initiative to Save Children From Measles
Deaths In Africa As Part of a Global Effort to Reduce
Child Mortality
WASHINGTON, February 6, 2002 - Five leading global public
health organizations announced today a new initiative
that will focus on immunizing children against measles
to save 1.2 million lives in Africa over the next five
years, as part of a global effort to reduce child mortality.
The Measles Initiative is a long-term commitment to control
measles deaths, beginning with Africa, by supporting immunization
services, including vaccinating 200 million children through
both mass and follow-up campaigns in up to 36 Sub-Saharan
African countries. The Partners are also exploring potential
support to reduce measles mortality in countries outside
Africa.
The Measles Initiative is a US-based partnership that
includes: American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation
(UN Foundation), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World
Health Organization (WHO), and the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO). Africa partners include national
Ministries of Health, national Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies with support from the International Federation
of the Red Cross, and other non-governmental organizations
(NGOs). In the battle to reduce mortality from measles,
partnership is crucial since each player brings a different
strength, experience, and field of expertise.
"Bringing these interests together and forging partnerships
for progress is what the UN Foundation is all about,"
said Timothy E. Wirth, President, United Nations Foundation.
"It is increasingly clear that every citizen, every
sector and every nation has an interest in working together
to promote progress in health, human rights, the economy
and the environment. Those who think progress in these
areas is elusive need look no further than this very tangible,
impressive collaboration."
In February of 2001, American Red Cross convened a meeting
with other public health organizations. American Red Cross,
CDC, UNICEF, UN Foundation, WHO, PAHO and others met to
discuss the growing problem of measles in Africa and around
the world. "We looked at problems that afflict the
world and we found that measles was an enormous one. What
is so tragic about the deaths is that they are preventable,"
said David McLaughlin, Chairman, Board of Governors, American
Red Cross. "The mission of the Red Cross is to help
relieve suffering at home and around the world. Leading
our global partners in the fight against measles gives
us an opportunity to do that on a big scale."
In order to accomplish the goal of saving 1.2 million
child lives in Africa over the next five years, while
exploring opportunities in other countries with high measles
deaths, Partners strive to achieve sustained high routine
immunization services supplemented by periodic mass campaigns
and surveillance. A measles campaign is a coordinated
effort of health workers, volunteers, and communities
to ensure that within a short period of time vaccination
teams reach every child. Partners also support related
activities including training, safe-injection practices
and disease surveillance.
MEASLES INITIATIVE -
The measles vaccination campaigns are carried out for
several days for children under 15 years of age. 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 strategy of high routine vaccination coverage combined
with mass campaigns has been proven to be an effective
strategy to prevent measles deaths.
- Before the measles vaccine became available, virtually
all children contracted measles, an estimated 135 million
cases and about six million deaths occurred globally
each year.
- By 2000, approximately 80% of the world's children
under one year of age were reported to have received
the measles vaccine. However, 18 countries, 14 in Africa,
reported coverage less than fifty percent.
- More recently in Latin America, deaths caused by
measles have been reduced to zero after the full strategy
was implemented in the Americas in the 1990's.
The strategy was proven effective in almost 50 countries
in Latin America where deaths caused by measles have been
reduced to zero after implementation of high routine coverage,
enhanced surveillance and a series of mass vaccination
campaigns conducted during the 1990's. Supplementing routine
measles vaccination with mass campaigns is now part of
the recommended strategy of WHO and UNICEF for developing
countries and the Measles Initiative will provide resources
for this component.
Campaigns in 15 African countries have demonstrated that
children can be vaccinated against measles for less than
one dollar per child.
The dollar per child number factors in the cost of all
the resources needed for a mass measles campaign - from
the vaccines, syringes and health worker costs to mobilizing
the population to get their children vaccinated.
UNICEF believes that every child has the right to be
immunized and protected from measles and other vaccine-preventable
diseases. "Every minute, one child dies from measles
in Africa. This is unacceptable," said Carol Bellamy,
Executive Director of UNICEF. "Measles vaccination
campaigns will reverse this trend and give children a
good start in life."
As Partnership strategies were being developed over
the last year, mass measles campaigns were carried out
in eight African countries, vaccinating more than 20 million
children and preventing more than 140,000 deaths. First-year
countries include: Tanzania, Uganda, Mali, Burkina Faso,
Togo, Cameroon, Ghana, and Benin. The partners anticipate
supporting measles vaccination in 12 countries for the
second year, vaccinating 53 million children and preventing
over 90,000 deaths.
The Measles Initiative is focused initially in Africa
where there is the highest risk of death and the most
measles deaths. Measles Initiative Partners also work
on a wide-range of health initiatives around the world,
including measles control and other vaccination services
outside of Africa.
The Measles Initiative is a long-term commitment to control
measles deaths in Africa by vaccinating 200 million children,
preventing 1.2 million deaths over five years. Leading
this effort are the American Red Cross, United Nations
Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization
and United Nations Children's Fund. Other key players
in the fight against measles include the International
Federation of the Red Cross, and countries and governments
affected by measles. For more information, or to support
the Measles Initiative, log on to www.measlesinitiative.org.
For further information, please contact:
Julie Irby, American Red Cross, International Communication
(202) 639-3512 office, (571) 236-6172 cell
Kaia Lenhart, UN Foundation Program Communication Director
and
Rex Carney, Communications Director (202) 887-9040 office
David Gittelman, CDC, Public Health Advisor (404) 639-8252
office and
Steven Stewart, Communications Specialist (404) 639-8327
office
Mohammad Jalloh, UNICEF, Communication Officer (212)
326-7516 office
John Fitzsimmons, WHO, Technical Officer (202) 974-3884
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