The Federal Ministry of Well being (MoH) formally launched a nationwide built-in measles vaccination marketing campaign on 22 December 2022 in an occasion officiated by honourable State Minister of Well being Dr Dereje Duguma in Siriti Well being Middle at Akaki Kaliti Sub-Metropolis in Addis Ababa. The nationwide launching occasion was performed within the presence of presidency officers, donors, immunization companions, non secular and neighborhood leaders and the media.
Honorable State Minister Dr. Dereje Duguma counseled all companions who supported this effort and urged regional well being bureaus and well being staff to make use of this chance to conduct an efficient vaccination marketing campaign with extensive protection and enhance the goal inhabitants’s immunity. He additionally known as upon all mother and father and caregivers to actively take part throughout the built-in measles vaccination marketing campaign by presenting their kids for vaccination.
The built-in measles supplementary immunization actions (SIAs) are concentrating on 15.5 million kids aged 9-59 months throughout the nation, together with hard-to-reach populations in drought- and conflict-affected areas.
Different lifesaving providers are built-in with the nationwide measles vaccination marketing campaign, together with catchup routine immunization for zero-dose and under-vaccinated kids; vitamin providers for kids: screening for acute malnutrition, vitamin A drops, and deworming towards intestinal parasites; identification of obstetric fistula in girls; identification of clubfoot in kids; and COVID-19 vaccination.
Talking on behalf of immunization companions, Dr Paul Mainuka, Performing Head of WHO Ethiopia Immunization, Maternal, Neonatal and Little one Well being Cluster mentioned, “I congratulate the Ministry of Well being for the initiative taken to scale back the chance of measles outbreaks within the nation and convey ongoing outbreaks to an finish, thus defending kids from preventable illness and demise attributable to measles.” He added, “It’s also commendable that the marketing campaign is built-in with different live-saving interventions comparable to COVID-19 vaccination and vitamin providers.”
In Ethiopia, measles stays a serious well being drawback with a number of outbreaks occurring in several components of the nation. To handle this, Ethiopia adopted and began implementing key methods to scale back the burden of measles and head in direction of elimination via strengthening routine immunization and SIAs, surveillance, and case administration.
Diet-related well being issues are among the many prime causes of morbidity and mortality in kids in creating international locations, together with in Ethiopia. Many ladies in Ethiopia are affected by obstetric fistula which is a devastating situation with a damaging impression on the well being, social and financial well-being of affected girls and their households; subsequently, the identification and referral of these girls will present them with alternatives to obtain much-needed therapy. The mixing and referral of membership foot can even be alternative for these affected kids to keep away from life-long incapacity as membership foot is correctable if detected and handled early.
The MoH is conducting the built-in measles vaccination marketing campaign in collaboration with the regional well being bureaus and immunization companions together with WHO, UNICEF, and GAVI.
As a part of the preparation for this nationwide built-in marketing campaign, advocacy and neighborhood engagement have been performed at completely different ranges to make sure the complete engagement of all stakeholders, together with the media, authorities sectors, well being and immunization companions, and the neighborhood.
WHO supported this marketing campaign financially and technically and has deployed greater than 100 consultants to assist the marketing campaign implementation in pre-, intra- and post-campaign actions, together with monitoring high quality of providers provision throughout the marketing campaign.