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April 23, 2003

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Angola Launches Vaccination Attack on Measles"

Reuters (www.reuters.com) (04/21/03)

Angola, which recently launched its first measles vaccination campaign in 27 years, hopes to vaccinate 90 percent of its children against the disease by 2007.  The $8 million campaign, sponsored by UNICEF and the Angolan Health Ministry, will target children between the ages of nine months and 15 years, which comes out to about 13 million children, or 50 percent of Angola's population.  UNICEF executive director Carol Bellamy believes this is the first step in strengthening Angola's entire health system following a 27-year civil war that has left the country dangerous due to land mines and bad roads.  UNICEF is providing helicopters and aircraft to help health care workers reach the children.

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