Vaccination campaign immunizes more than 13 million children in Kenya.(Brief Article)

2002 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In an effort to combat preventable deaths from measles, the Measles Initiative launched its largest mass vaccination campaign ever in Kenya, June 17-23, 2002.

The Kenya campaign, the first of nine country campaigns scheduled this year as part of the initiative, reached 13,302,991 children (97.9%) between the ages of 9 months and 14 years with measles vaccinations and vitamin A (given to boost the immune system) in 1 week.

"The impact this campaign will have on Kenyan children is extraordinary," said Dr. Mark Grabowsky, senior health advisor for the American Red Cross. "After measles vaccination campaigns, the effects are immediate - within a few weeks, children no longer get sick from measles and measles wards in hospitals are empty, opening up beds and resources for the many other health problems children are prone to in Africa."

Actress Jane Seymour, Celebrity Cabinet member for the American Red Cross and mother of six, actively participated in the campaign with eight schoolchildren from Richard Henry Dana Middle School in Hawthorne, California (near Los Angeles).

Seymour and the children took part in social mobilization with the Kenyan Red Cross Society to motivate mothers to bring their children to be vaccinated; visited schools and hospitals to talk to children, mothers and Kenyan officials about the importance of vaccination; and took part in a documentary about the Measles Initiative slated to be completed this fall.

Seymour said, "In our travels we saw the Measles Initiative at work firsthand. We witnessed schoolchildren singing songs about measles and putting on dramas with a 'devil' character that represented measles to teach mothers and fathers about the importance of vaccination - and most importantly, we talked to families about their daily lives and how measles affects them. I actually heard that some mothers won't name their children until they have had measles because so many children get it and die."

In partnership with SATELLIFE and Acumen Foundation, a health and community survey was conducted by 28 Kenyan Red Cross volunteers at vaccination posts in four Kenyan districts, surveying 2033 mothers and fathers who brought their children to be vaccinated.