Over 13 children have died
in South Sudan from an attempt to immunise the children against
measles, officials say.
They were vaccinated with the same unsterilized equipment, and the vaccine was not stored properly, according to an investigation.
As a result, the immunisation campaign caused severe infection. The team administering the vaccinations was “neither qualified nor
trained” to do so, the health minister said.
Over 250 people were vaccinated
during the campaign in the Kapoeta region, including 32 other children who fell
ill, but survived, Riek Gai Kok added.
Measles outbreaks in the country are a
key target of the United Nations children’s fund (Unicef), which is aiming to vaccinate
1.2 million children this year.
But a report from the Associated Press said
that in this case, children as young as 12 were administering the vaccine to
others.
Sepsis is a potentially deadly immune response triggered by an
infection which spreads quickly in the body.
South Sudan declared independence in 2011, but has struggled
to maintain basic services including healthcare, after a civil war erupted
in 2013.
The United Nations estimates more than one million children have fled
the country during the conflict, and a million more are displaced within the
country.
0 comments:
Post a Comment