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March 4, 2002

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Rostropovich Returns to Azerbaijan Birthplace with Health Gift" Agence France Presse (www.afp.com/english/home) (03/02/02)

World renowned cellist Mstislav Rostropovich returned home to Azerbaijan over the weekend with $1.1 million worth of children's vaccines, which were supplied by the Vaccine Fund.  At a presentation ceremony at a hospital in Baku, Rostropovich and Azeri President Heidar Aliyev observed as a newborn infant was injected with hepatitis B vaccine.  Rostropovich, who returns to his country of birth every year to give concerts, noted: "This year I have come not only with music but also with vaccines, because I see that music alone is not enough."  In Azerbaijan, as much as 7 percent of the population is infected with hepatitis B; the government's aim is to vaccinate 80 percent of infants against the virus by 2004.

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