UNITED NATIONS: Almost two-thirds of children who have not been immunised with basic vaccines live in countries that are either partially or entirely affected by conflict, UNICEF said ahead of World Immunisation Week.
UNICEF Chief of Immunisation Robin Nandy said, “Conflict creates an ideal environment for disease outbreaks”. He said, “Children miss out on basic immunisations because of the breakdown and sometimes deliberate destruction of vital health services. Even when medical services are available, insecurity in the area often prevents them from reaching children”.
UNICEF said that measles, diarrhoea, respiratory infections and malnutrition are major causes of childhood illness and death and in conflict and emergencies, their effects can worsen.
UNICEF said, “When children contract measles in non-conflict settings, fewer than one percent of them die. In areas where crowding and malnutrition are rife, such as refugee camps, child deaths from measles can soar to up to 30 per cent of cases. Overcrowding and lack of basic necessities like food, water and shelter make children even more vulnerable to disease”.
Areas in conflict also see the killing of health workers and the destruction of medical facilities, supplies and equipment, all of which have a disastrous effect on children’s health.
In Syria, immunisation levels have plummeted from over 80 percent in 2010, prior to the conflict, to 43 per cent in 2014. Polio resurfaced in the country in 2013, after 14 years with no cases. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, over 2,000 suspected cases of measles have already been reported in 2016, with 17 deaths, most of them among children under 5 years old.
Vaccination – particularly against highly contagious measles, which is a high priority in humanitarian emergencies and is a central part of UNICEF’s response to protect children’s health in such settings.
In Syria, a vaccination campaign, planned to start yesterday (April 24) will target young children who have missed out on routine vaccination, especially those in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. Many of these children, born since the conflict began, have never been vaccinated.
In Yemen, despite fierce fighting across the country, UNICEF-supported vaccination campaigns immunized 2.4 million children against measles and rubella in January and 4.6 million children against polio in April 2016.
In Libya, the first nationwide polio immunization campaign in two years was completed in April. Earlier this month UNICEF shipped 1.5 million doses of vaccines to Tripoli.
In emergencies and conflicts, UNICEF said it works with partners to restart the cold chain for vaccines and other essential medical supplies; put health teams back in place;
and train health workers to provide immunization, nutrition screening, vitamin-A supplements and medical treatment for women and children.
Immunisation in conflict helps revive other badly needed health services. For example, in conflict-affected areas of Iraq, Syria and Yemen, health workers also offer health and nutrition services, as well as care for childhood illnesses to populations who come forward in response to immunisation campaigns.
