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Conflict in Sudan hinders vaccinationsTuesday, 20 July 1999: Heavy fighting in the western Upper Nile region of Sudan is preventing a measles campaign from reaching close to 50,000 children under five in the towns of Baw, Duar, Koch, Leer, and Nhialdiu. UNICEF and partner non-governmental organizations in Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) could reach approximately 150,000 children in Upper Nile and Jonglei regions if flight bans, conflict, and the onset of the rainy season did not hinder access to remote areas.UNICEF calls on all parties to the conflict to respect a period of tranquility and open air access, to allow humanitarian agencies to assess needs and provide life-saving assistance to men, women, and children. A sustained period of calm is necessary because of the time needed to train staff and the sensitivity of vaccines to heat. Measles vaccinations are essential to prevent this deadly disease. In some cases, fighting has interrupted active vaccination campaigns. In Mankien, also in western Upper Nile, the NGO Medecins Du Monde (MDM) was able to vaccinate less than 2,000 children after measles broke out in the town. However, the fighting forced OLS to evacuate expatriate MDM staff on 8 July, leaving the town without adequate medical care. At the time of evacuation, MDM had not yet vaccinated all of the 10,000 targeted children. In addition to the disruption of the measles campaign, the insecurity has likely forced thousands of people to flee the area. OLS has not been able to investigate their immediate medical, nutritional, and educational needs because of constant fighting. The area is already extremely vulnerable because chronic fighting, drought, and floods have weakened the population and disrupted their coping mechanisms since 1998. The last round of fighting, which took place in May, displaced 4,000 men, women, and children to Nyal and 3,700 to Ganyiel in Upper Nile. In Nyal, the attendance at the Coordination Committee for Voluntary Services supplementary feeding center has risen from 151 to 201 since the arrival of the displaced families. A further 16,000 people are reported to have fled Leer for Makuac in Tonj County. UNICEF response to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nyal and Ganyiel has included 2,500 blankets and 500 mosquito nets to the IDPs in Nyal, as well as dried skim milk and oral rehydration salts for Coordination Committee for Voluntary Services' health and nutrition programs. In Ganyiel, UNICEF has provided 1,000 displaced kits, 1,200 pieces of clothing and a further 1,000 mosquito nets. Other areas of Upper Nile/Jonglei that have suffered due to insecurity in the last three months include Gumriak, Tagil, and Padit in Ruweng County and the Akobo area on the Ethiopian border. In Gumriak, a Medair compound and clinic, as well as a school and UNICEF veterinary equipment were looted and burned. In Akobo, Medecins Sans Frontiers-Belgium was forced to evacuate just as it was controlling a cholera outbreak in early May. MSF-Belgium has not yet been able to return to the area. |
| Please email media@unicef.org with comments or requests for more information, quoting CF/DOC/PR/1999/27. |
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