Pressroom

Source: allAfrica.com

06/05/2012

Measles is the focus of Namibia’s 2012 National Immunization Days (NIDs) campaign, which the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) launched on June 1. MoHSS plans to reach 900,000 children from ages nine months to 15 years across the country. Although the number of reported measles cases declined dramatically last year, the threat of transmission remains because children continue to miss their routine measles vaccination. Namibia’s 34 districts are expected to have measles vaccination coverage levels of 80 percent, but more than half are between 50 percent and 79 percent. Also, newborns to children aged 59 months will receive the oral polio vaccine. The country was declared polio-free in 2009, but remains at risk due to the circulation of the virus in southern Africa. The first round of the 16th NIDs campaign will end on June 7, and the second round will run from July 10-12.