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USAID Sponsors Iraq's National Vaccination Day

WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov/
Press: (202) 712-4320
Public Information: (202) 712-4810

2003-069

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 22, 2003

Contact: USAID Press Office

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - The Iraqi Ministry of Health together with the U.S. government, the United Nations International Children's Education Fund (UNICEF) and local healthcare providers today launched Iraq's second National Vaccination Day. The goal of the campaign is to vaccinate all Iraqi children before the end of the year. To reach this goal each primary clinic in Iraq will vaccinate all children five years and younger for free at all primary healthcare facilities throughout Iraq today. Future vaccination days are scheduled for August 21, September 22, October 22, November 22 and December 22.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through a $7 million grant to UNICEF, is co-sponsoring a national children's vaccination program in Iraq. The funds are being used to purchase vaccines, syringes and cold chain equipment which will support child immunizations for one year. There are approximately four million children under the age of five in Iraq; another 75,000 children are born every month. The immunizations protect the children against preventable diseases including whooping cough, tetanus, polio, diphtheria, tuberculosis, Hepatitis B, polio and measles.

USAID and UNICEF are worldwide partners in immunizing the world's children. UNICEF has maintained a national immunization strategy in Iraq for the past 23 years. Just prior to the conflict, a national measles vaccination campaign was carried out by UNICEF, which resulted in a national coverage rate of an estimated 85% of all Iraqi children under the age of five. Previous campaigns, known as National Immunization Days, have lead to relatively high rates of vaccination against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, whooping cough and polio. There has not been a new reported case of polio in Iraq in the past three years.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.

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