- Title: LEBANON: Lebanon in vaccination drive against polio spreading from Syria
- Date: 11th April 2014
- Summary: ZAHLE, LEBANON (APRIL 11, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF STREET NEAR TO SYRIAN REFUGEE CAMP TENT FOR POLIO VACCINATION WITH SYRIAN REFUGEES WAITING AT ENTRANCE SIGN READING (Arabic): "VACCINATION CAMPAIGN AGAINST POLIO, MEASLES AND RUBELLA" REFUGEES LINED UP NURSES NEAR REFUGEES BEING GIVEN VACCINATION SIGN READING (Arabic): "PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN A POUND OF CURE" VARIOU
- Embargoed: 26th April 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Lebanon
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Health
- Reuters ID: LVA3CN9LZSXZ6LMG3CGAY4TPG3SN
- Story Text: Lebanon launched a fourth round of polio immunisation on Friday (April 11), in a bid to prevent the disease spreading from neighbouring Syria along with the tide of refugees fleeing the three-year conflict.
Protection against polio requires several vaccinations but aid workers have expressed concern that coverage in Lebanon has been falling off because parents were unaware of the need for multiple inoculation.
The announcement earlier this week that polio had been detected in Iraq, the first of Syria's neighbours to be hit by the virus, has added to fears that it could spread further.
The campaign in Lebanon targets around 600,000 Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian infants aged up to five.
"We want to make sure that every child is vaccinated and today we are aiming with the ministry of health, WHO and UNICEF to reach 600,000 children against Polio and we want at the same time to reach children against Measles, Rubella and Vitamin A," Soha Boustani, spokeswoman of UNICEF which is carrying out the campaign with Lebanese officials, told Reuters.
"I think the problem in Lebanon is that the risk perception among families is not as high as the risk of the disease itself, so we want to make sure that every single family is aware of the necessity of vaccinating the children, especially that this is the fourth round and they are feeling that it is not important because they did it before," she added.
UNICEF said that the first three rounds were very successful, but there have been diminishing returns.
After reaching more than 95 percent of the targeted children at first attempt, the cover slipped to the mid 80s in the last round.
And the number of Syrians fleeing into Lebanon, which hosts the highest number of refugees, meant it was the country most at risk of a new outbreak.
"The challenges today is to reach every single family especially in areas where the vaccination coverage has not been as high as we wanted. Last campaign we reached 85 percent of the families, we want with this campaign to reach 95 percent if not plus of the whole children, so at least we can say that we have made every effort possible to protect the children from a disease that will cripple them for life," Boustani said from a refugee camp in Zahle, in the Bekaa Valley.
The crippling infectious disease was eradicated from Lebanon and Syria at least 13 years ago, but it was confirmed in 17 children in Syria in October.
There is no cure for the disease, which invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours. It can only be prevented through immunisation. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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