WHO sends school vaccines to Syria’s Kobani after years of halt
KOBANI, Syria (North Press) – Limited quantities of school vaccines have accessed areas in Euphrates region, north Syria, after nine years of halt, an official in Health Board in the Euphrates region said on Tuesday.
Ahmad Mahmoud, co-chair of the Euphrates region Health Board, said the received vaccines are not enough and the board is trying to obtain more vaccines.
After World Health Organization (WHO) sent the vaccines, the Health Board initiated on Sunday a vaccination campaign for children and students, but in small numbers.
It is the first vaccination campaign since 2013.
Mahmoud said that vaccines find their way to the region through the WHO, stressing their continuing efforts to obtain more vaccines.
He told North Press the board monthly follows up on routine vaccines and vaccination campaign, but the allocated quantities for the region are insufficient.
The latest campaign includes oral polio vaccines for children at the age of between one day and 5 years old and MMR vaccines for children at the age of between 7 months and 5 years old.
Raniya Kawi, supervisor in vaccines section in the Euphrates region Health Board, said recently 10.000 doses of school vaccines for adults and children have arrived in Kobani through WHO.
These doses are not sufficient for the children of the region, the minimum needed quantity is 15.000, according to Kawi.
Some 42 staffs of the Kurdish Red Crescent are carrying out the campaign, which lasts ten days, in three centers in Kobani.
The three centers are the Kurdish Red Crescent center, Mashtanor health center and Martyr Barfin School (formerly Teshrin) in addition to mobile teams that travel across the countryside.