“I am extremely pleased with the initiative by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and I am working towards getting this assistance for District 411B”, District Governor Lion Satish Sharma echoed over the weekend. His excitement will indeed bring fruits for the vaccination drive required in Uganda and Tanzania.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth and throat of infected persons. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), during 2001-2008, global measles mortality declined by 78 percent, from an estimated 733,000 deaths in 2000 to 164,000 in 2008, but the reduction in measles mortality has been levelling off since 2007. Although vaccinations are readily available in developed countries, the disease remains a heavy public health burden in the developing world. The disease is also a major cause of preventable blindness, particularly among children, affecting the same underserved populations.
Involvement from Lions will focus on three main areas: advocacy at the local, regional and national levels; direct involvement in social marketing and vaccination activities; and financial support. Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mali and Nigeria will host the first four pilot programs. Lions’ leadership teams in the four pilot countries will coordinate, with Ministries of Health and other Measles Initiative partners, the program implementation and documentation of activities through the beginning of 2011.
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