Date Published: 20 January 2011

Yellow fever vaccination campaign in Ivory Coast

More than 800,000 people targeted to prevent deadly outbreaks

A vaccination campaign against yellow fever is scheduled to get underway tomorrow, 21st Jan 2011, in the West African nation of Ivory Coast. The campaign will target more than 830,000 adults and children in four districts aged nine months and older, and will last for seven days.

‘’ We are extremely grateful to GAVI, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, for providing the yellow fever vaccines and for our partners the World Health Organization for working with UNICEF to make this critically important campaign possible,’’ said Sylvie Dossou, UNICEF The Ivory Coast Officer-in-Charge.
‘’ This vaccination drive also shows the world that despite the political impasse in the country, lifesaving humanitarian work continues to be done in The Ivory Coast and that we are reaching the most vulnerable.’’

The campaign is targeting the districts of Katiola and Beoumi – where since last November there have been 66 recorded cases of yellow fever with 25 deaths recorded (a fatality rate of 35%). Seguela and Mankono districts are also where vaccination teams will work.

‘’ These are largely rural districts where overall child vaccination rates are unacceptably low,’’ said Dr. Eli Ramamonjisoa, Chief of UNICEF The Ivory Coast’s Child Survival Section.
‘’ We are also working with our partners to replenish vaccine and anti-retroviral therapy stocks throughout the country, especially in hard-to-reach areas.’’

The severity of yellow fever, a potentially lethal infection transmitted by mosquitoes, is such that a single confirmed case in a country constitutes an epidemic. There is no known cure, but one dose of the vaccine provides immunity for ten years.

About UNICEF
UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. (Statement from unicef.org)

News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. Any views expressed in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Some of the material in this news item was released by the UNICEF on 20 January 2011 and may have been edited (e.g. in style, length, and/or for ease of understanding by our international readers) for inclusion here.