Morocco stages nationwide immunization campaign for children and women
Morocco, Health, 10/12/2001

The Moroccan health ministry is staging two nationwide immunization campaigns for women in procreating age and children against several diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, polio, measles, tetanus, whooping cough, and hepatitis B.

The campaigns to run October 14-18 and November 12-16 target to immunize 2.8 million children aged below 5 years against polio, 250,000 children against the other killer diseases and over 1 million women in procreating age against tetanus to protect newborns against neonatal tetanus.

The ministry will be using 4,700 medical teams comprising 16,600 health professionals and 2,200 vehicles.

The campaigns were launched in 1987 and have up to date brought the immunization coverage to 90% of children and have helped eradicate polio.

Health minister, Thami El Khyari, deplored however that the World Health Organization has failed to deliver Morocco the polio-eradication world certificate and announced that the kingdom will present its candidacy next November at a WHO regional meeting.

The novelty of this year's campaign will be the generalization of the health register to all newborns, an operation jointly sponsored by the Mohammed V solidarity foundation -chaired by King Mohammed VI- and the Moroccan organization for childhood- chaired by princess Lalla Meryem, the sovereign's sister.

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