Saturday, 30 April 2011
ICT and the Blind in Africa
As part of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, an Exhibition on Information and Communication Technologies was organised to show case innovative ICT projects in Africa. Held at the ECA end January to early February 2010, it was done to encourage African policy makers to invest in new technologies for social-economic growth and also to demonstrate the potential investment return in the sector. This video production focuses on an organisation based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia called Adaptive Technologies Centre for the blind.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Some 180 nations and territories take part in UN-backed immunization drive
Source:un.org
25 April 2011 – Some 180 countries and territories are for the first time carrying out simultaneous United Nations-backed immunization campaigns this week, targeting diseases such as influenza, measles, polio and tetanus.
The Immunization Week, which began on Saturday, is taking place across the five UN World Health Organization (WHO) regions of Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe and the Western Pacific.
“I believe Immunization Week will have a significant impact on emphasizing the need to remain vigilant against vaccine-preventable diseases – even those that we do not see within our communities,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan.
Over the course of the week, outreach teams will visit communities with limited access to regular health services such as those living in remote areas, urban fringes and internally displaced people to administer vaccines.
Vaccinations will be provided to protect against diseases such as diphtheria, hepatitis B, influenza, measles, mumps, maternal and neonatal tetanus, polio, rubella, whooping cough and yellow fever.
Other activities include training sessions and workshops for health workers, as well as round-table discussions with political decision-makers, medical professionals, parents, and caregivers.
Dr. Chan noted that even with all the positive cooperation, innovation and collaboration that exist, “we are at risk of losing many of the gains that have been made and forgoing the additional benefits that are within reach.”
The recent outbreaks of measles, pertussis and polio in different parts of the world have highlighted the work that remains to be done, she said.
Last week WHO urged European countries to work more closely together to combat measles – which is entirely preventable – after a surge in the number of cases across the continent since the start of the year.
At least 6,500 cases have been reported already, with significant outbreaks observed in 30 countries, including Belgium, France, Serbia, Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Spain.
Health workers administer oral polio vaccine
The Immunization Week, which began on Saturday, is taking place across the five UN World Health Organization (WHO) regions of Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe and the Western Pacific.
“I believe Immunization Week will have a significant impact on emphasizing the need to remain vigilant against vaccine-preventable diseases – even those that we do not see within our communities,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan.
Over the course of the week, outreach teams will visit communities with limited access to regular health services such as those living in remote areas, urban fringes and internally displaced people to administer vaccines.
Vaccinations will be provided to protect against diseases such as diphtheria, hepatitis B, influenza, measles, mumps, maternal and neonatal tetanus, polio, rubella, whooping cough and yellow fever.
Other activities include training sessions and workshops for health workers, as well as round-table discussions with political decision-makers, medical professionals, parents, and caregivers.
Dr. Chan noted that even with all the positive cooperation, innovation and collaboration that exist, “we are at risk of losing many of the gains that have been made and forgoing the additional benefits that are within reach.”
The recent outbreaks of measles, pertussis and polio in different parts of the world have highlighted the work that remains to be done, she said.
Last week WHO urged European countries to work more closely together to combat measles – which is entirely preventable – after a surge in the number of cases across the continent since the start of the year.
At least 6,500 cases have been reported already, with significant outbreaks observed in 30 countries, including Belgium, France, Serbia, Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Spain.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Deadly measles outbreaks threaten Africa gains: WHO
(Reuters) - Large and deadly outbreaks of measles in 30 African countries threaten to reverse gains made against the viral disease in the past two decades, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
More than 1,100 deaths from measles have been reported among 64,000 known cases in Africa the last year, it said. Chad, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have had the largest outbreaks.
"There is a widespread resurgence of measles with these outbreaks in over 30 African countries, some of which are seeing very high case fatality ratios," WHO expert Peter Strebel told a news briefing.
Some 8,000 migrant children in Bulgaria also had the highly-contagious disease during the period, he said.
Measles deaths among children under five years old fell to 118,000 in 2008 from 733,000 in 2000, according to the United Nations agency's latest figures.
But the WHO warned that a lack of funding and political commitment could result in a return to more than 500,000 cases measles deaths per year by 2012, wiping out the gains to date.
Health ministers from WHO's 193 member states, holding their annual meeting in Geneva, agreed on Thursday to try to achieve at least 90 percent measles vaccination coverage nationally by 2015.
Britain also reported large numbers of measles cases over the past year, due to vaccination rates which had dropped below 90 percent following a scare that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot could lead to autism, Strebel said.
"In the past it was associated with the MMR autism threat which has now been proven not be present. In the U.K. in fact there have more recently been improvements in vaccination levels and transmission (disease spread) has come down to very low levels," he said.
In February, the Lancet medical journal formally retracted a paper that caused a 12-year international battle over links between the three-in-one childhood MMR vaccine and autism.
The 1998 paper led to a steep drop in the number of vaccinations in the United States, Britain and other parts of Europe, prompting a rise in cases of measles.
Severe measles is more likely among poorly nourished young children. The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhea and dehydration, ear infections or severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia, WHO says.
It costs less than $1 to vaccinate a child against measles but two doses are required for full protection.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Jonathan Lynn by Reed Stevenson)
More than 1,100 deaths from measles have been reported among 64,000 known cases in Africa the last year, it said. Chad, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have had the largest outbreaks.
"There is a widespread resurgence of measles with these outbreaks in over 30 African countries, some of which are seeing very high case fatality ratios," WHO expert Peter Strebel told a news briefing.
Some 8,000 migrant children in Bulgaria also had the highly-contagious disease during the period, he said.
Measles deaths among children under five years old fell to 118,000 in 2008 from 733,000 in 2000, according to the United Nations agency's latest figures.
But the WHO warned that a lack of funding and political commitment could result in a return to more than 500,000 cases measles deaths per year by 2012, wiping out the gains to date.
Health ministers from WHO's 193 member states, holding their annual meeting in Geneva, agreed on Thursday to try to achieve at least 90 percent measles vaccination coverage nationally by 2015.
Britain also reported large numbers of measles cases over the past year, due to vaccination rates which had dropped below 90 percent following a scare that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot could lead to autism, Strebel said.
"In the past it was associated with the MMR autism threat which has now been proven not be present. In the U.K. in fact there have more recently been improvements in vaccination levels and transmission (disease spread) has come down to very low levels," he said.
In February, the Lancet medical journal formally retracted a paper that caused a 12-year international battle over links between the three-in-one childhood MMR vaccine and autism.
The 1998 paper led to a steep drop in the number of vaccinations in the United States, Britain and other parts of Europe, prompting a rise in cases of measles.
Severe measles is more likely among poorly nourished young children. The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhea and dehydration, ear infections or severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia, WHO says.
It costs less than $1 to vaccinate a child against measles but two doses are required for full protection.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Jonathan Lynn by Reed Stevenson)
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Measles back with a vengeance
vengeance
Johannesburg, 28 June 2010 (IRIN) - "Out of sight, out of mind" explains why Southern Africa has been grappling with one of the biggest outbreaks of measles, a highly contagious viral disease, since 2009.
The outbreak has so far claimed 758 lives, mostly in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho and South Africa. Ahmadu Yakubu, Regional Immunization Adviser at the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) told IRIN there had been lapses in the measles immunization programme because "countries were not seeing cases anymore".
Oladapo Walker, the Inter Country Support Coordinator for Eastern and Southern Africa at the World Health Organisation (WHO), told IRIN that at least 95 percent of all eligible children had not been vaccinated against the disease.
Walker said the outbreaks were "most likely the result of a build-up of susceptible children and adolescents who have missed immunization and escaped natural infection during the years of reduced transmission".
In developing countries, vaccination programmes are jointly funded by donors, but Yakubu said countries in the region had failed to raise adequate financial commitments because "there were no cases to report over the years", so they were unable to motivate funds.
The Measles Initiative, founded in 2001 to stem a rising number of cases, reported that a funding gap of US$59 million for 2010 had to be met to prevent a resurgence of measles deaths globally.
UNICEF noted in a statement in 2009 that more than 2.4 million children in eastern and southern Africa - about 20 percent of all children younger than one year - were not being reached by routine immunization.
WHO recommends two doses of vaccine to ensure immunity, with the first to be given by the child's first birthday, but about 15 percent of vaccinated children fail to develop immunity from the first dose.
Global slump
Southern Africa is not the only region grappling with the after-effects of a slump in measles vaccinations. Yakubu cited a recent article in Eurosurveillance, a scientific journal published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, which said measles was spreading in Europe because immunization had dropped well below the recommended levels.
To ensure protection from outbreaks, WHO recommends that at least 90 percent of all children in each district and at national level be vaccinated in routine immunization.
Global vaccination levels dropped to 72 percent in 2000 but coverage returned to around 83 percent in 2008. According to WHO, in 2008 there were 164,000 measles deaths globally – nearly 450 deaths per day, or 18 deaths every hour.
The resurgence in Southern Africa could be partly ascribed to members of religious sects that did not believe in "modern western medicine" and prevented their children from being vaccinated, said Yakubu, who acknowledged that although the numbers were not substantial, "They are growing". Newspapers in Malawi reported that members of the Seventh Day Apostolic Church would not allow their children to be immunized against measles.
Walker said the last measles outbreak in some southern Africa countries occurred three years ago, and in others as much as six years ago. Namibia recorded its last wave of measles in 2002, while South Africa and Zimbabwe experienced one in 2005.
However, he noted that the "current outbreaks are much less frequent, and the level of incidence is much lower than outbreaks that used to occur before the measles control goals were adopted in 1998 in the Southern Africa Sub-region".
Measles "most probably have travelled through porous borders and trade", said Walker. "However, for an outbreak to occur following importation from a neighbouring province or country, it requires a sizable number of susceptible populations in both countries."
To prevent a resurgence, countries should run follow-up vaccination campaigns every two to four years until their healthcare systems could routinely provide two doses of measles vaccination to all children and offer treatment for the disease, said Luis Gomes Sambo, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
Prof Adrian Puren, Deputy Director of Virology at the South Africa-based National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), said they were monitoring the epidemic in South Africa to gain insights into how it spread.
The NICD noted in a recent communiqué on communicable diseases that a French journalist covering the football world cup in South Africa had been diagnosed with a strain of measles that was of European and North American origin.
The communiqué noted that "This ... imported case of measles ... highlights the possibility of imported communicable diseases making an appearance during the football world cup event."
Source:Irin News
Johannesburg, 28 June 2010 (IRIN) - "Out of sight, out of mind" explains why Southern Africa has been grappling with one of the biggest outbreaks of measles, a highly contagious viral disease, since 2009.
The outbreak has so far claimed 758 lives, mostly in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho and South Africa. Ahmadu Yakubu, Regional Immunization Adviser at the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) told IRIN there had been lapses in the measles immunization programme because "countries were not seeing cases anymore".
Oladapo Walker, the Inter Country Support Coordinator for Eastern and Southern Africa at the World Health Organisation (WHO), told IRIN that at least 95 percent of all eligible children had not been vaccinated against the disease.
Walker said the outbreaks were "most likely the result of a build-up of susceptible children and adolescents who have missed immunization and escaped natural infection during the years of reduced transmission".
In developing countries, vaccination programmes are jointly funded by donors, but Yakubu said countries in the region had failed to raise adequate financial commitments because "there were no cases to report over the years", so they were unable to motivate funds.
The Measles Initiative, founded in 2001 to stem a rising number of cases, reported that a funding gap of US$59 million for 2010 had to be met to prevent a resurgence of measles deaths globally.
UNICEF noted in a statement in 2009 that more than 2.4 million children in eastern and southern Africa - about 20 percent of all children younger than one year - were not being reached by routine immunization.
WHO recommends two doses of vaccine to ensure immunity, with the first to be given by the child's first birthday, but about 15 percent of vaccinated children fail to develop immunity from the first dose.
Global slump
Southern Africa is not the only region grappling with the after-effects of a slump in measles vaccinations. Yakubu cited a recent article in Eurosurveillance, a scientific journal published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, which said measles was spreading in Europe because immunization had dropped well below the recommended levels.
| About measles | |
| Malnourished children, those suffering a lack of vitamin A, or whose immune systems have been weakened by HIV/AIDS, are most vulnerable to measles. Most measles-related deaths are caused by complications from the disease, particularly in children younger than five or adults older than 20 years. The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea and related dehydration, ear infections or severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia. The disease is spread by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact or direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions. The first sign of measles is usually a high fever. A runny nose, a cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots inside the cheeks can develop in the initial stage. After several days, a rash erupts, usually on the face and upper neck. | |
| Source: World Health Organisation | |
Global vaccination levels dropped to 72 percent in 2000 but coverage returned to around 83 percent in 2008. According to WHO, in 2008 there were 164,000 measles deaths globally – nearly 450 deaths per day, or 18 deaths every hour.
The resurgence in Southern Africa could be partly ascribed to members of religious sects that did not believe in "modern western medicine" and prevented their children from being vaccinated, said Yakubu, who acknowledged that although the numbers were not substantial, "They are growing". Newspapers in Malawi reported that members of the Seventh Day Apostolic Church would not allow their children to be immunized against measles.
Walker said the last measles outbreak in some southern Africa countries occurred three years ago, and in others as much as six years ago. Namibia recorded its last wave of measles in 2002, while South Africa and Zimbabwe experienced one in 2005.
However, he noted that the "current outbreaks are much less frequent, and the level of incidence is much lower than outbreaks that used to occur before the measles control goals were adopted in 1998 in the Southern Africa Sub-region".
Measles "most probably have travelled through porous borders and trade", said Walker. "However, for an outbreak to occur following importation from a neighbouring province or country, it requires a sizable number of susceptible populations in both countries."
To prevent a resurgence, countries should run follow-up vaccination campaigns every two to four years until their healthcare systems could routinely provide two doses of measles vaccination to all children and offer treatment for the disease, said Luis Gomes Sambo, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
Prof Adrian Puren, Deputy Director of Virology at the South Africa-based National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), said they were monitoring the epidemic in South Africa to gain insights into how it spread.
The NICD noted in a recent communiqué on communicable diseases that a French journalist covering the football world cup in South Africa had been diagnosed with a strain of measles that was of European and North American origin.
The communiqué noted that "This ... imported case of measles ... highlights the possibility of imported communicable diseases making an appearance during the football world cup event."
Source:Irin News
Measles Outbreak in Africa Threatens Gains
Measles Outbreak in Africa Threatens Gains
Photo: AFP
Children getting vaccinations for measles on the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 Oct 2009
The Measles Initiative, a consortium of global healthcare organizations, warns a serious outbreak of measles in Sub-Saharan Africa is threatening all the gains made since 2000 in reducing deaths from this killer disease among children under five.
The United Nations reports nearly 90,000 cases of measles have occurred in sub-Saharan Africa since June 2009, including about 1,400 deaths.
The epidemic is most severe in the southern African countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho and South Africa.
The Measles Initiative was created in 2001 to tackle the growing problem of the disease in Africa. The group says gaps in the implementation of measles control strategies resulting from a lack of funds has led to the dramatic increase in measles cases.
Andrea Gay is executive director of Children's Health at the UN Foundation, one of the partners of the Measles Initiative. She tells VOA in a phone interview from Washington the enormous progress Africa has made in cutting child deaths from measles is now at risk.
She says a major factor is the dramatic decline in funding. She notes GAVI, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, had been donating $150 million to the Measles Initiative, but, this dropped to a little over $20 million in 2008.
"The Measles Initiative was unable to provide the same level of resources to the country," said Gay. "We were asking countries to increase their share and many countries were not able to increase their share to the extent that was necessary to carry out a high quality campaign. One thing that can happen is the campaigns are not as good and then that means there are going to be more pockets of children that are not vaccinated and because measles is infectious, it will find those children and there will be an outbreak."
Measles is easily spread through coughing and sneezing. It can cause severe complications, including pneumonia and diarrhea and lead to death.
While money is a key factor, Gay says measles are easily preventable. To ensure protection, she says at least 90 percent of all children in a country need to be vaccinated through routine immunization.
"We are trying to get countries to improve their routine, their first dose of vaccine to reach more children, but, quite honestly even to do that, usually, it is a question of resources," she said.
However, Gay says money should not be a deterrent. She says it costs less than $1 to vaccinate a child against this killer disease. She says $59 million is needed this year to prevent a resurgence of measles deaths globally.
The epidemic is most severe in the southern African countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho and South Africa.
The Measles Initiative was created in 2001 to tackle the growing problem of the disease in Africa. The group says gaps in the implementation of measles control strategies resulting from a lack of funds has led to the dramatic increase in measles cases.
Andrea Gay is executive director of Children's Health at the UN Foundation, one of the partners of the Measles Initiative. She tells VOA in a phone interview from Washington the enormous progress Africa has made in cutting child deaths from measles is now at risk.
She says a major factor is the dramatic decline in funding. She notes GAVI, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, had been donating $150 million to the Measles Initiative, but, this dropped to a little over $20 million in 2008.
"The Measles Initiative was unable to provide the same level of resources to the country," said Gay. "We were asking countries to increase their share and many countries were not able to increase their share to the extent that was necessary to carry out a high quality campaign. One thing that can happen is the campaigns are not as good and then that means there are going to be more pockets of children that are not vaccinated and because measles is infectious, it will find those children and there will be an outbreak."
Measles is easily spread through coughing and sneezing. It can cause severe complications, including pneumonia and diarrhea and lead to death.
While money is a key factor, Gay says measles are easily preventable. To ensure protection, she says at least 90 percent of all children in a country need to be vaccinated through routine immunization.
"We are trying to get countries to improve their routine, their first dose of vaccine to reach more children, but, quite honestly even to do that, usually, it is a question of resources," she said.
However, Gay says money should not be a deterrent. She says it costs less than $1 to vaccinate a child against this killer disease. She says $59 million is needed this year to prevent a resurgence of measles deaths globally.
Source:Voice of America
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Red Cross calls for aid in fighting measles outbreak
Source: Ethiopian review
The American Red Cross, in the wake of the massive measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, recently requested the aid of the global health community to quell the spread of the disease.
A total of 16,112 suspected cases of measles have been reported in the African country since early 2011, including 106 children who died from the disease.
This massive outbreak continues the recent global increase of reported measles cases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more measles cases were reported in 2008 than in any other year since 1997, with more than 90 percent of those infected either not vaccinated or with an unknown vaccination status.
Victim of years of internal conflict, The Democratic Republic of Congo has left thousands of children vulnerable to the disease by not regularly participating in measles vaccination campaigns.
"If campaigns are postponed because of funding shortfalls, armed conflict or lack of political commitment, we will see outbreaks. It's predictable but it's also altogether preventable," Athalia Christie, a senior technical advisor for the Measles Initiative with the American Red Cross, said.
Through the Measles Initiative, the American Red Cross, in conjunction with the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization have contributed to a 92 percent reduction of measles mortality in Africa between 2000 and 2008.
The Red Cross is hopeful that this initiative, along with assistance from the Democratic Republic of Congo, will put an end to this outbreak plaguing sub-Saharan Africa.
- Spencer Ham
The American Red Cross, in the wake of the massive measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, recently requested the aid of the global health community to quell the spread of the disease.
A total of 16,112 suspected cases of measles have been reported in the African country since early 2011, including 106 children who died from the disease.
This massive outbreak continues the recent global increase of reported measles cases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more measles cases were reported in 2008 than in any other year since 1997, with more than 90 percent of those infected either not vaccinated or with an unknown vaccination status.
Victim of years of internal conflict, The Democratic Republic of Congo has left thousands of children vulnerable to the disease by not regularly participating in measles vaccination campaigns.
"If campaigns are postponed because of funding shortfalls, armed conflict or lack of political commitment, we will see outbreaks. It's predictable but it's also altogether preventable," Athalia Christie, a senior technical advisor for the Measles Initiative with the American Red Cross, said.
Through the Measles Initiative, the American Red Cross, in conjunction with the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization have contributed to a 92 percent reduction of measles mortality in Africa between 2000 and 2008.
The Red Cross is hopeful that this initiative, along with assistance from the Democratic Republic of Congo, will put an end to this outbreak plaguing sub-Saharan Africa.
- Spencer Ham
Measles Deaths on the Rise
Source:UN Dispatch
When USAID Administrator Raj Shah told Congress yesterday that 70,000 children could needlessly die should Congress pass a restrictive global health budget, this is what he was talking about.
The World Health Organization is reporting today that Measles deaths are on the rise again in sub-Saharan Africa. The thing is, since the Measles Initiative was launched in 2001, the number of cases and deaths from Measles in Africa has dropped exponentially. Routine child and infant vaccinations in Africa caused measles cases to plummet from over 500,000 in 2001 to around 35,000 in 2008. But the word today is that since 2008, there has been a four-fold increase in the number of Measles cases in Africa to about 170,000 confirmed cases by WHO in 2010.
A WHO spokesperson attributes the reversal of gains to two reasons. First, paradoxically, is the success of the campaign since 2001; parents saw fewer measles cases around them and judged that the threat of measles was reduced. Second, international funding for measles has declined since 2008. Amidst a global economic crisis, donor governments reduced their spending on measles vaccination efforts and shifted to other global health priorities, said the WHO spokesperson.
Measles is a very opportunistic disease. So opportunistic, it would seem, that it has exploited the global financial crisis.
When USAID Administrator Raj Shah told Congress yesterday that 70,000 children could needlessly die should Congress pass a restrictive global health budget, this is what he was talking about.
The World Health Organization is reporting today that Measles deaths are on the rise again in sub-Saharan Africa. The thing is, since the Measles Initiative was launched in 2001, the number of cases and deaths from Measles in Africa has dropped exponentially. Routine child and infant vaccinations in Africa caused measles cases to plummet from over 500,000 in 2001 to around 35,000 in 2008. But the word today is that since 2008, there has been a four-fold increase in the number of Measles cases in Africa to about 170,000 confirmed cases by WHO in 2010.
A WHO spokesperson attributes the reversal of gains to two reasons. First, paradoxically, is the success of the campaign since 2001; parents saw fewer measles cases around them and judged that the threat of measles was reduced. Second, international funding for measles has declined since 2008. Amidst a global economic crisis, donor governments reduced their spending on measles vaccination efforts and shifted to other global health priorities, said the WHO spokesperson.
Measles is a very opportunistic disease. So opportunistic, it would seem, that it has exploited the global financial crisis.
American Red Cross Calls on Global Health Community to Fight Measles Outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo
Rising number of new cases putting thousands of children at risk.
WASHINGTON, April 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With measles spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), putting thousands of children at risk, the American Red Cross today called on the Democratic Republic of Congo and members of the global health community to work together to launch an immediate response to the outbreaks.
"In countries with weak health systems, vaccination campaigns need to be conducted every 2 to 4 years to reduce measles cases and deaths," said Athalia Christie, senior technical advisor for the Measles Initiative with the American Red Cross. "If campaigns are postponed because of funding shortfalls, armed conflict or lack of political commitment, we will see outbreaks. It's predictable but it's also altogether preventable."
A total of 16,112 suspected cases of measles have been reported since early 2011 with the death toll reaching 106 children – 90 of whom are in Katanga province, according to the latest figures provided by local health authorities.
The Red Cross has joined Medecins Sans Frontieres' (MSF) efforts to rapidly vaccinate more than 1.5 million children in response to the current crisis.
"Every year, thousands of children suffer from measles," said Christie, with the American Red Cross. "Outbreaks are reported every day. Hospitals beds are full. Mothers delay naming their newborns until they have survived the disease. What's even more tragic is that we have a safe and effective vaccine available that will not only protect them from this disease, but will contribute to the prosperity of entire generations."
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is as large as all of Western Europe. Following years of armed conflict and crumbling health infrastructure, thousands of children are vulnerable to measles.
Vast differences exist in access to healthcare between rural villages and urban cities – an inequity that fuels the spread of measles. Countries with weak health systems use campaigns to reach those with otherwise poor access to health services. Measles campaigns also strengthen routine immunization by retraining healthcare workers, supplying equipment to safely transport vaccines and developing strategies to access hard-to-reach populations.
"The success of measles vaccination campaigns depends largely on spreading the word to communities," said Dr. Alain Kapete, from the Red Cross of the DRC. "Red Cross volunteers make door-to-door visits to ensure all children, especially those in remote villages, are included in the immunization campaign. We need to vaccinate as many children as possible to prevent the spread of the virus."
In October and November 2010, the Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of the Congo mobilized 1,000 volunteers for vaccination campaigns against wild polio virus. These campaigns also integrated measles vaccine in certain districts. Additionally, the local Red Cross society has ongoing activities to strengthen routine immunization in 65 zones as part of a civil society consortium receiving funding from the GAVI Alliance.
The Measles Initiative has successfully contributed to a 92 percent reduction of measles mortality in Africa between 2000 and 2008. Unfortunately, with declines in political and financial commitments for this highly effective partnership, future vaccination campaigns against measles are being compromised and immunization remains an unfinished business.
In 2010, 28 countries in sub-Saharan Africa reported measles outbreaks with more than 1,200 deaths linked to measles.
Measles is a highly contagious virus, spread by contact with an infected person through coughing and sneezing, affecting mostly children. The symptoms include high fever, severe skin rash and cough and can cause complications such as pneumonia, malnutrition, severe dehydration, ear and eye infections that can lead to blindness. Measles kills an estimated 164,000 children each year, according to the Measles Initiative.
Launched in 2001, the Measles Initiative—led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization—provides technical and financial support to governments and communities for mass vaccination campaigns and disease surveillance around the world. The Initiative has supported the vaccination of more than 700 million children, helping to reduce measles deaths by 78 percent globally (compared to 2000). To learn more, visit www.measlesinitiative.org.
To learn more you can read the full advocacy report by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) which was produced in partnership with the GAVI Alliance.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
SOURCE: American Red Cross
WASHINGTON, April 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With measles spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), putting thousands of children at risk, the American Red Cross today called on the Democratic Republic of Congo and members of the global health community to work together to launch an immediate response to the outbreaks.
"In countries with weak health systems, vaccination campaigns need to be conducted every 2 to 4 years to reduce measles cases and deaths," said Athalia Christie, senior technical advisor for the Measles Initiative with the American Red Cross. "If campaigns are postponed because of funding shortfalls, armed conflict or lack of political commitment, we will see outbreaks. It's predictable but it's also altogether preventable."
A total of 16,112 suspected cases of measles have been reported since early 2011 with the death toll reaching 106 children – 90 of whom are in Katanga province, according to the latest figures provided by local health authorities.
The Red Cross has joined Medecins Sans Frontieres' (MSF) efforts to rapidly vaccinate more than 1.5 million children in response to the current crisis.
"Every year, thousands of children suffer from measles," said Christie, with the American Red Cross. "Outbreaks are reported every day. Hospitals beds are full. Mothers delay naming their newborns until they have survived the disease. What's even more tragic is that we have a safe and effective vaccine available that will not only protect them from this disease, but will contribute to the prosperity of entire generations."
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is as large as all of Western Europe. Following years of armed conflict and crumbling health infrastructure, thousands of children are vulnerable to measles.
Vast differences exist in access to healthcare between rural villages and urban cities – an inequity that fuels the spread of measles. Countries with weak health systems use campaigns to reach those with otherwise poor access to health services. Measles campaigns also strengthen routine immunization by retraining healthcare workers, supplying equipment to safely transport vaccines and developing strategies to access hard-to-reach populations.
"The success of measles vaccination campaigns depends largely on spreading the word to communities," said Dr. Alain Kapete, from the Red Cross of the DRC. "Red Cross volunteers make door-to-door visits to ensure all children, especially those in remote villages, are included in the immunization campaign. We need to vaccinate as many children as possible to prevent the spread of the virus."
In October and November 2010, the Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of the Congo mobilized 1,000 volunteers for vaccination campaigns against wild polio virus. These campaigns also integrated measles vaccine in certain districts. Additionally, the local Red Cross society has ongoing activities to strengthen routine immunization in 65 zones as part of a civil society consortium receiving funding from the GAVI Alliance.
The Measles Initiative has successfully contributed to a 92 percent reduction of measles mortality in Africa between 2000 and 2008. Unfortunately, with declines in political and financial commitments for this highly effective partnership, future vaccination campaigns against measles are being compromised and immunization remains an unfinished business.
In 2010, 28 countries in sub-Saharan Africa reported measles outbreaks with more than 1,200 deaths linked to measles.
Measles is a highly contagious virus, spread by contact with an infected person through coughing and sneezing, affecting mostly children. The symptoms include high fever, severe skin rash and cough and can cause complications such as pneumonia, malnutrition, severe dehydration, ear and eye infections that can lead to blindness. Measles kills an estimated 164,000 children each year, according to the Measles Initiative.
Launched in 2001, the Measles Initiative—led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the World Health Organization—provides technical and financial support to governments and communities for mass vaccination campaigns and disease surveillance around the world. The Initiative has supported the vaccination of more than 700 million children, helping to reduce measles deaths by 78 percent globally (compared to 2000). To learn more, visit www.measlesinitiative.org.
To learn more you can read the full advocacy report by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) which was produced in partnership with the GAVI Alliance.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
SOURCE: American Red Cross
Remote Nigerian village becomes front line in measles fight
RIJIYA, Nigeria — One of the front lines of global health is in this dusty northern Nigerian village, where a man dressed in a turban and caftan walks the streets, delivering a warning through a megaphone.
"If you don't want your child to die or suffer deformities like deafness or blindness, you better take your child to be immunised," broadcasts Gado Maibuji, recruited by local officials to deliver the anti-measles message.
With the global effort to eradicate polio seeing major gains, international health agencies have also been highlighting the fight against measles, the highly contagious disease that kills over 160,000 children each year.
It is preventable through vaccination, and nearly all of the deaths occur in what are considered low-income countries with poor health infrastructure.
India is the hardest hit and Nigeria, despite its major oil wealth, is also at high risk, reporting 14,271 suspected cases and 7,754 confirmed last year, resulting in 151 deaths.
As Africa's most populous nation, with 150 million people, Nigeria is a key battleground in the fight against measles, which it carries out with support from the United Nations Foundation.
"Nigeria is crucial in this campaign due to its high birth rate," said the UN Foundation executive director for children's health, Andrea Gay, during a tour of an anti-measles drive in Rijiya village in northern Zamfara state.
Measles is a viral respiratory infection spread through oral droplets, with symptoms including fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis and rashes.
With an incubation period of up to two weeks, it is highly contagious and an infected child can set off a chain reaction that sees the virus spread rapidly through a neighbourhood.
Confronting measles through immunisation is part of a global strategy of addressing child-killing diseases, with polio having long been a major focus.
"We don?t have to wait until the last polio virus is routed before we tackle measles, as doing so will be disastrous because measles will have spread all over," Gay said.
Unlike many African nations, Nigeria, which begins three successive weekends of elections on Saturday, covers more than two-thirds of the costs of its measles vaccination campaigns, according to the UN Foundation.
The United Nations body lends financial as well as technical support, including to a recent $30-million campaign in Nigeria.
Globally, a multi-million-dollar initiative managed by the UN Foundation has been highly effective in reducing measles mortality.
It began in 2001 and involves four other international donors -- the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, the American Red Cross and the US Centres for Disease Control.
The number of worldwide deaths from measles has fallen by some 78 percent -- from 745,000 in 2000 to 164,000 in 2008 -- and the aim is to eradicate the disease in the next decade, said Gay.
Experts warn that any halt in the campaigns could undo the success recorded in the fight so far.
With poor routine immunisation, many Nigerian children do not receive measles vaccinations; those who are immunised often only get a single dose, leaving them vulnerable since two doses are needed for proper resistance.
The problem is compounded by families' reluctance to take their children to immunisation centres.
"They are used to house-to-house polio immunisation where health workers meet them in their homes and immunise their children," said Safiya Ismail, a WHO immunisation officer.
"But in the case of measles, we are asking them to bring their children to us and many are reluctant."
Local authorities provide soaps and candies as incentives to lure mothers and children to centres, while workers in communities travel the streets with megaphones to sensitise families on the importance of vaccination.
"The soaps and candies do the magic," Ismail said. "Mothers are enticed by the free soaps and children by the candies and the strategy works effectively."
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Treating Blindness in Africa
http://www.pri.org
Ethiopia has the greatest number of people in the world whove gone blind from trachoma, but medical workers say not enough resources are being put into combating this disease. The Carter Centers Trachoma Control Program is one of the few efforts currently focused on intervention in Ethiopia. Story by Odette Yousef for PRIs The World.
Lions-Measles Initiative pilot in Africa
Lions and LCIF are joining a world-wide effort spearheaded by the Measles Initiative to protect children from measles, a leading cause of childhood blindness. This Lions-Measles Initiative pilot program is being funded in part by a US$400,000 grant to LCIF from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. LCIF is providing an additional US$300,000 to support the project.
Friday, 1 April 2011
MAKING EDUCATION ACCESSIBLE TO THE VISION IMPAIRED
A PAPER PRESENTED BY
DR. CHUKS OSUJI, OON FNIPR
AT THE LAUNCH OF FIFTY MILLION NAIRA BRAILLE RESOURCE AND COMPUTER CENTER
ON THURSDAY 16TH DECEMBER, 2010
AT IMO CONCORDE HOTEL, OWERRI.
INTRODUCTION:
Education, as one aspect of human Endeavour and creativity has been defined in several ways, education is a branch of knowledge which transforms man, widens his scope an d helps him to acquire knowledge in every discipline of studies. On the other hand, Education has been defined as a process of imparting knowledge or skill through a systematic process of instruction.
Properly put, irrespective of which definition one prefers to adopt, education can be obtained through schooling process, teaching skills or even through demonstration of certain acts particularly by using instruments, materials or equipment.
Therefore, by and large, for our purpose in this discussion, the above definition can suffice.
MEANS OF EDUCATION:
As we ordinarily know and understand, if education is formalized, it can be acquired through several means. These means include- primary schools, secondary schools, tertiary institutions, technical centers etc. process of imparting knowledge are various and diverse. For example, if a village palm wine tapper is demonstrating to a Youngman the process of climbing a palm tree so as to extract palm wine or to fall a palm – brunch that can be considered to be a form of education because the palm wine tapper is impacting knowledge.
In Nigerian educational system, children, once they attain the age of five years are expected to be sent to primary school. But those with exceptional growth and development which may be due to several domestic factors could be ready for early primary education much earlier according to our educational system, we have what is commonly referred to as 6334 system. This makes distinctive classification of various stages which a child undergoes as he progresses educationally. The system gives those in primary level to spend 6 years of primary education. This is followed by another 3 years in the junior secondary school and another 3 years in the senior secondary school level. Then the child progresses to any of the numerous tertiary Institutions.
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES:
Provision of facilities for our educational Institutions varies from level to level. However, there are essentially basic facilities. These include suitable fenced accommodation to house different classes, library, laboratory, craft, computer room teachers conference hall and hostels, laboratory Apparatus and chemicals, books for library, football field for recreation, and play ground equipped with modern facilities like merry-go-round for the kindergarten and pre- primary school, toilet facilities, canteen, medical center, first aid box, chalk boards tables and chairs, pipe borne water, light and buses for transportation etc.
FACILITIES FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSONS:
It is a matter of regret and disenchantment to know that one of the short-comings of our educational system is non-recognition of the existence of the physically challenged persons particularly visually impaired in our society. Right from both policy planning period through implementation, authorities have completed neglected physically challenge persons, more so, visually impaired children, pupils and students at the different level of our educational system.
In other advanced systems including some not quite developed system such as Ghana , Bostwana, Zimbawe and South Africa
It is important to point out that in more advanced countries, particularly in the United States of America , Asia and Europe , strenuous efforts are made to make education accessible to the visually impaired persons. This helps to encourage them to be educated and to make studies in the any discipline of their choices. Besides, life is made very comfortable for the visually impaired in particular and physically challenged persons in every aspect of human Endeavours. Consequent upon this there are legal provision which compel citizen, government at all levels, organizations, providers of various types of services such as railways, airlines, buses and other means of public utilities and services to provide for necessary and adequate comfort for the visually impaired.
In other to enhance their studies, special schools for the visually impaired are established o make education accessible to them at all cost. Even where no special schools are established, adequate provisions are made to take care of their needs due to their physical challenges. Conversely, here in Nigeria
Consequent upon non-availability of legal framework to take cognizance of visually impaired in our society today, coupled by the general apathy towards them, vision impaired persons in Nigeria are at the receiving end of every social and economic strata. They are exposed to mass discrimination, disregard, disdain, oppression, neglect, sometimes forgotten. Even in their individual families, they are not factored in any major decisions, impoverished, generally hungry because they sometimes cannot fend for themselves. Government at all levels hardly ever remember them for meaningful employment not to talk of political appointments it is for this that the visually impaired in our society are at the lowest level of poverty and has the highest unemployment rate.
Furthermore, because of this apparent Government and civil society and general neglect of the visually challenge persons in Nigeria
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED:
As already opined above, adequate legal framework must be put in place so as to adequately make provision for the visually impaired. Within the general principal of such a framework, emphasis must be placed on the provision of educational materials, equipment and wholistic provision of other necessary structure and facilities.
In addition, Government should make provision for conducive learn environment, classroom tables, desk, well trained teachers, pipe borne water and light. The compound should be fenced and guarded by security men.
Government should also support in sending them for field work and excursion as required so that they can touch and feel some of things learnt in the classroom to broaden their knowledge in all areas. Free transportation should be made available to the by providing school buses that will take them to school and back home.
CONCLUSION:
It is an incontrovertible fact that there is absolutely not much attention by different levels of Government and other educational authorities for the provision of resources and facilities to enhance, promote and project the education of the visually impaired. It is absolutely necessary that until such a legal framework comes into effect, we must begin to seriously address the co-educational concern of the visually impaired persons.
They are special and must be treated special. I strongly posit that the government at all levels: national, state, local government should as a matter of societal imperatives take urgent steps to make special budgetary allocation to be specially geared towards our society. Special schools special workshops, libraries equipped with those materials and modern technological equipment, provision of special writing and reading gadgets, redesigning some of our schools to make the movement of the visually impaired uninhibited, provision of special recreational facilities for them must form the basis of new policies aimed at making education more accessible to the visually impaired.
I therefore commend Redemption International for the Blind for their bold initiatives in the arranging for this occasion to raise fund for Braille resource, Skill acquisition and Computer center..
Wishing you a successful launch.
Dr. Chuks Osuji, OON,FNIPR
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)