July 02, 2026 05:27 pm (IST)

Make this your homepage

Health

India-US trade deal almost done! Piyush Goyal hints at breakthrough | Ram Mandir donation scam: Champat Rai points finger at his own driver | PM Modi welcomes Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi as India-Japan ties enter a new era | 'Not an isolated incident': India slams Pakistan after 125-year-old historic Gurdwara is demolished | Ram Mandir donation theft: Six accused were employed by Varanasi-based security firm, probe reveals | Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft: Probe says majority of money was allegedly stolen during Kumbh Mela | Commercial LPG price slashed by Rs 183.50 from July 1; check new rates in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai | Trump suffers major blow as US Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship | Delhi-Mumbai Expressway horror: Passenger bus goes up in flames after fatal collision, 8 dead | 'Dharmendra Pradhan will be responsible if anything happens': CJP warns as Sonam Wangchuk's health worsens on day 3 of hunger strike

UN Photo/Marie Frechon

Somalia: UN calls for action to curb measles outbreaks

India Blooms News Service | | Jun 11, 2014, at 05:42 pm

New York, Jun 11 (IBNS): Voicing deep concern that outbreaks of measles have left thousands of children in Somalia at risk of disability or death, United Nations agencies on Tuesday called for urgent vaccination to tackle the highly contagious disease.

"This is extremely alarming. There is a very poor health care system due to the years of conflict," warned Dr. Ghulam Popal, Somalia Representative of the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

"We know there have been extremely low immunization rates among Somali children and we need to urgently ensure as many as possible are vaccinated."

There were over 1,350 suspected cases of measles in March and April 2014 – four times more than the number during the same period last year, and nearly 1,000 cases were reported in May alone, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

In response, with support from WHO, UNICEF and partners, Somali health authorities have launched small scale vaccination campaigns and will carry out larger emergency vaccination in the most affected areas of Bari, Nugaal, Mudug, Banadir and Lower Juba this month, targeting half a million children under five.

"We have a very high number of malnourished Somali children," said Sikander Khan, UNICEF Somalia Representative, adding that "Malnourished children here are more susceptible to disease – and are more likely to die or suffer life long disability such as blindness, deafness or brain damage as a result of contracting measles."

Both WHO and UNICEF underscore that national measles campaigns need to be conducted immediately to avoid unnecessary deaths. This means vaccinating about 5 million children and young people between the ages of 9 months to 15 years old, at an estimated cost of USD 9 million.

Further, according to WHO, 10 per cent of children affected by measles could die from complications, especially in complex emergency situations like Somalia.

Two decades of conflict have ruined Somalia’s health sector, leaving the country with some of the worst health and nutrition indicators in the world. Approximately one in five children dies before their fifth birthday – with measles as one of the main causes.

(UN Photo/Marie Frechon)

#Somalia # measles outbreaks # United nations # contagious disease

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.

India
International

Related Images

CMRI Hospital celebrates Patients' Experience Week with Walkathon Oct 09, 2025, at 06:21 pm

Kolkata: BITM hosts an interactive session with students to observe Shubhanshu Shukla's return to Earth Jul 16, 2025, at 07:45 pm

West Bengal government airlifts ailing Gangasagar pilgrims to Kolkata Jan 13, 2025, at 12:45 pm