ADDIS ABABA, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) announced Thursday it will start a one-week-long immunization campaign against measles, polio and yellow fever diseases next week.
Dereje Gutema, the State Minister of FMoH, said the one-week-long immunization campaign, which will start Monday, is aimed to coincide with the annual Africa vaccination week.
Gutema also said the immunization campaign targeting the three diseases aims to cover the entirety of Ethiopia, except areas where there is insecurity, reported the state media outlet Ethiopia News Agency (ENA).
"The immunization campaign is focused on measles, polio and yellow fever because of fears of outbreaks from these diseases," Gutema said. "The immunization campaign will also be extensively implemented in areas of Ethiopia with large numbers of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)."
On Wednesday, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) warned a spiking number of measles cases around the world could trigger even larger global outbreaks.
In March, the WHO stated total eradication of polio in sub-Saharan Africa will be within reach if governments and multilateral lenders intensify routine immunization targeting children in the continent's high-risk outposts. ■
