TBD
Emergency vaccination campaign starts in Port-au-Prince
An emergency vaccination campaign spearheaded by the Red Cross along with the Haitian government, UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization will reach 140,000 people in Port-au-Prince.
Vaccination campaign in Haiti
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies has mobilized more than a hundred Haitian volunteers to vaccinate people against measles, diphtheria and tetanus -- diseases that can spread quickly as a result of crowding in post-disaster situations. They will also be distributing vitamin A and deworming treatment.
More than 12,000 people have already received treatment as part of the campaign. UNICEF's Senior Emergency Health Advisor Dr. Robin Nandy says the first phase of the immunization campaign kicked off at Sylvio Cator Stadium in downtown Port-au-Prince last week.
"A lot of displaced people from other areas are coming into the football stadium, and it's getting extremely congested, so we thought that would be an obvious place to target. It's also right in the middle of town, so there are displaced people around it who would be encouraged to come there to receive vaccination as well."
Dr. Nandy says the campaign targets mainly large settlements, but no one who comes to the vaccination posts will be turned away.
Bissera Kostova, United Nations.
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