WHO said in a statement made available to PANA here Wednesday that the week-long event would target 11.9 million people across the three countries, all of which are at high risk of yellow fever outbreaks.
It said the campaign, supported by UNICEF, Medecins sans Frontires and other partners, is the first in which yellow fever vaccination drives will be simultaneously launch ed across several countries.
``High vaccination coverage will prevent outbreaks of yellow fever, a disease that is very difficult to diagnose in the early stages of infection," William Perea, coordinator of WHO Epidemic Readiness and Intervention Unit, said in the statement. He said a single dose of the vaccine offers full protection.
According to WHO, Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone are the latest three of the 13 highest risk African countries to carry out preventive campaigns.
``Since 2007, a total of 29 million people have been protected through mass vaccinations conducted in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Senegal and Togo, as well as a first phase completed in Sierra Leone,'' it noted.
The statement further said other vaccination campaigns would be carried out throughout all high risk African countries by 2015, including the Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria.
New York - 18/11/2009
Pana
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