A reactive measles campaign: More than 2 million children to be vaccinated

The Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), with a technical and financial support of partners including WHO and UNICEF is conducting a measles outbreak response vaccination campaign in 58 outbreaks affected woredas. 

This reactive measles vaccination campaign was started from 29December 2023, and it will be ongoing until mid-January 2024. Most of the woredas have completed the campaign and few of them are still ongoing. The prioritized 58 outbreak affected woredas are from eight regions including Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz, Gambella, Oromia, Sidama, Somali, South Ethiopia, and Southwest Ethiopia Peoples’ region. 

The campaign targeted children aged 6 months to 10 years, and the financial support was from measles and rubella initiative (MRI) through WHO and UNCIEF for the operational, vaccines and dry supplies costs targeting more than 2 million children (2,006,342).

WHO has also provided technical support at the national and subnational levels in the selected woredas to ensure quality vaccination campaign and achieve high coverage. The support includes the overall preparation, micro plan development, training, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the vaccination campaign including data management. 

The social mobilization was intensified during the launching ceremony which was held in the presence of the head of the respective Regional Health Bureaus, religious leaders and media. Various messages were produced, translated in different local languages, and distributed as leaflets, banners, and through audio channels. The Public address system-mounted vehicles were also deployed for conducting social mobilization activities, especially in highly populated areas, and megaphones and dry cells were purchased and distributed to the rural woredas to hasten the social mobilization activities in their communities.