UNICEF: Child Health Days celebrated in Somalia

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/somalia_51918.html

NAIROBI, Kenya, 24 November, 2009 For the first time ever, a Child Health Days campaign has reached displaced children and women in Somalias Afgoye Corridor, a 30 km stretch of road west of Mogadishu that is the worlds most densely populated settlement for the displaced.

Supported by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) in close collaboration with local authorities and non-governmental partners this effort was part of a nationwide programme to promote child survival in Somalia, where one in seven children dies before the age of five and routine immunization coverage is amongst the lowest in the world.

The nationwide campaign aims to immunize every Somali child under five against measles, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus, and to provide vitamin A supplementation, de-worming tablets and nutritional screenings.

During Child Health Days, undernourished children are referred to feeding programmes, women of child-bearing age are immunized against neonatal tetanus, and health packages are distributed. The packages include oral rehydration salts to treat diarrhoea, and water purification tablets.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• UNICEF
• Child
• Health
• Days
• Somalia
• Afgoye
• Corridor
• Nairobi
• Kenya
• children