Six rounds of fighting between the army and Houthi-led rebels in northern Yemen since 2004 have prevented or limited immunization campaigns in the area and have subsequently led to a higher prevalence of measles, according to health officials.
Despite an 11 February ceasefire ending the latest clashes, up to 120 children under five have confirmed infected cases of measles* since 1 March in nine Houthi-controlled districts in Saada Governorate, said Hinbush Hussein Hinbush, head of the governorate’s Public Health & Population Office.
“The figure is increasing by the day in the following districts: Majaz, Sihar, Qutaber, Ghamr, Razih, Shadha, Malaheedh, Haidan and Munabih. More deaths are expected due to the spread of the epidemic and obstacles to vaccination efforts,” he told IRIN from Saada. “Measles became endemic in Saada due to repeated clashes since 2004.”
Paramedics told local media that 700 children have measles in Saada. They said that the more than 20,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the governorate still living in the open were contributing to the spread of the disease. Some 250 children with critical cases of measles are receiving treatment in al-Talh Hospital in Sihar District.
On 17 April, local authorities in Saada began a 12-day measles and polio vaccination campaign in various parts of the governorate targeting 215,688 children and succeeding in reaching 83 percent.
Rebel opposition
One week after it was launched, the campaign faced resistance in some remote areas by anonymous groups believed to be Houthi supporters. “These acts and the spread of landmines are the main causes of suspending the campaign in Sihar and Majaz districts,” Faisal Safir, an official at Saada’s public health office, said.
Houthis have also seized vaccines and related equipment, and prevented parents from taking their children to vaccination teams under the pretext that vaccines would make them lose their ‘religious zeal’ or make immunized children sterile, according to Hinbush.
Mohammed Abdussalam, a Houthi spokesperson, said he did not know about those individuals opposing vaccination efforts in the governorate.
The UN’s Children Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners are supporting the current vaccination drive and providing the vaccines and other necessary items for the campaign, Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Representative in Yemen, told IRIN on 16 May.
“Yemen had achieved excellent progress in the elimination of measles prior to the [most recent] conflict by conducting a major countrywide campaign in 2006 and immunizing nine million children under the age of 15,” Cappelaere said.
This was consolidated by a follow-up campaign beginning in December 2009, which is still going on, according to UNICEF.
“We are confident that the remaining districts in Saada Governorate should be covered in the weeks to come, thanks to the committed efforts of all parties and support from a wide range of local and international partners,” Cappelaere said.
Measles is fourth on the list of diseases causing child deaths in Yemen, according to the Yemeni health ministry.
ay/at/ed
* This sentence was ammended on 24 May 2010 from "120 children under five have died of measles" to "120 children under five have confirmed infected cases of measles".
Despite an 11 February ceasefire ending the latest clashes, up to 120 children under five have confirmed infected cases of measles* since 1 March in nine Houthi-controlled districts in Saada Governorate, said Hinbush Hussein Hinbush, head of the governorate’s Public Health & Population Office.
“The figure is increasing by the day in the following districts: Majaz, Sihar, Qutaber, Ghamr, Razih, Shadha, Malaheedh, Haidan and Munabih. More deaths are expected due to the spread of the epidemic and obstacles to vaccination efforts,” he told IRIN from Saada. “Measles became endemic in Saada due to repeated clashes since 2004.”
Paramedics told local media that 700 children have measles in Saada. They said that the more than 20,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the governorate still living in the open were contributing to the spread of the disease. Some 250 children with critical cases of measles are receiving treatment in al-Talh Hospital in Sihar District.
On 17 April, local authorities in Saada began a 12-day measles and polio vaccination campaign in various parts of the governorate targeting 215,688 children and succeeding in reaching 83 percent.
Rebel opposition
One week after it was launched, the campaign faced resistance in some remote areas by anonymous groups believed to be Houthi supporters. “These acts and the spread of landmines are the main causes of suspending the campaign in Sihar and Majaz districts,” Faisal Safir, an official at Saada’s public health office, said.
Houthis have also seized vaccines and related equipment, and prevented parents from taking their children to vaccination teams under the pretext that vaccines would make them lose their ‘religious zeal’ or make immunized children sterile, according to Hinbush.
Mohammed Abdussalam, a Houthi spokesperson, said he did not know about those individuals opposing vaccination efforts in the governorate.
The UN’s Children Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners are supporting the current vaccination drive and providing the vaccines and other necessary items for the campaign, Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Representative in Yemen, told IRIN on 16 May.
“Yemen had achieved excellent progress in the elimination of measles prior to the [most recent] conflict by conducting a major countrywide campaign in 2006 and immunizing nine million children under the age of 15,” Cappelaere said.
This was consolidated by a follow-up campaign beginning in December 2009, which is still going on, according to UNICEF.
“We are confident that the remaining districts in Saada Governorate should be covered in the weeks to come, thanks to the committed efforts of all parties and support from a wide range of local and international partners,” Cappelaere said.
Measles is fourth on the list of diseases causing child deaths in Yemen, according to the Yemeni health ministry.
ay/at/ed
* This sentence was ammended on 24 May 2010 from "120 children under five have died of measles" to "120 children under five have confirmed infected cases of measles".
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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