Children, in Iraq, aged one to five, have missed out on their routine jabs for against most diseases because of instability in the countryIraq’s Ministry of Health is organising the two-week MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) immunisation campaign, which is also being funded by the European Commission.
Measles remains a leading cause of death among young children, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine for the past 40 years. An estimated 345 000 people, the majority of them children, died from measles in 2005
Roger Wright, Unicef special representative for Iraq is quoted to have said:
The timing of this MMR campaign is critical. This vaccine will certainly save many young lives and we are calling on everyone in Iraq to ensure vaccinators reach children safely over the next two weeks.
Measles is one of the most contagious viral diseases. Caused by paramyxo virus, it is the most unpleasant and the most dangerous of the children’s diseases. While measles is probably best known for the full-body rash that it causes, the first symptoms of the infection are usually a hacking cough, runny nose, high fever, and watery red eyes. Another marker of measles are Koplik’s spots, small red spots with blue-white centers that appear inside the mouth.
Seeing Iraq’s humanitarian crisis, it will remain a Herculean task to get to the children in the most terror-ravaged areas.
Source: BBC