Princess Lalla Meryem Launches Nationwide Immunization Campaign for Children and Women

Princess Lalla Meryem (sister of Morocco's King Mohammed VI) launched on Sunday at the Middle Atlas mountains city of Ifrane a nationwide immunization campaign targeting women in procreating age and children against several diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, polio, measles, tetanus, whooping cough, and hepatitis B.

The two-stage campaign to run October 14-18 and November 12-16 target to immunize 2.8 million children aged below 5 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.

In parallel, health authorities are also launching an operation to fight micro-nutriments deficiencies (iron, iodine, Vitamins A and D) and promote other public health measures (immunization, breast feeding, good hygiene practices).

The public health ministry is 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.

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.