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Over 2.1 Million Children Vaccinated

Angola Press Agency (Luanda)

May 3, 2003
Posted to the web May 4, 2003

Luanda

More than 2,1 million children were immunized in Angola during the 1st phase of the national vaccination campaign against measles, organised by the Ministry of Health and partners from the 21st to 25th of April countrywide.

In this first phase, the children were vacinated at schools, nurseries, orphanages, childern homes, and juvenile institutions and counted with the participation of 15.440 people, among mobilizers, co-ordinators, supervisers, technicians and other voluntary people.

According to the national director of the Extended Vaccination programme, F'tima Valente, this campaign helped prevent 180.200 deaths and, therefore, save USD 4,3 million on treatment of measles.

To her, the objectives of this campaign, which comprises three phases, are the reduction in the number of deaths cases due to measles.

During the 1st fase of the campaign, vitamin "A" were also given to 3.000 000 children from zero to five years of age.

"Our children have the right to vaccination. All of them should be vaccinated to assure the control of diseases in Angola and live healthy", she affirmed.

Mrs Fatima Valente said that, in this first phase, USD 718. 185 were spent in the acquisition of meals for participating people and the hiring of 375 cars for five days.

On the occasion, the vice-minister of Health, JosÚ Van Dunem, emphasized that the most important point is to eliminate all diseases in the country within the next three years.

"What most worries the Ministry is security during the vaccination campaign in order to immunize the largest number of children", he emphasized.

JosÚ Van-D¨nem revealed that children who were not vaccinated in the 1st phase will be immunized in the second one, occuring from the 3rd to the 9th of May.

The national director of the Extended Vaccination Programme and the vice-minister of Health revealed these figures during a press conference held on Friday, at Hotel Alvalade, in Luanda.

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