UN offers vaccinations to Samoan children in quake zone
Updated
The United Nations children's fund, UNICEF, is preparing for a mass measles vaccination and vitamin A shot for 11,000 children in Samoa, possibly as soon as this week. Infectious diseases could easily take hold in a disaster-hit community, and UNICEF has offered the Samoan government the immunisation option.
Philip Mann is responsible for UNICEF's health and nutrition program on the ground in Apia, Samoa, and is asked how quickly this vaccination program can be rolled-out? And are there any blockages from the Samoan government?
Presenter: Geraldine Coutts
Speaker: Philip Mann, responsible for UNICEF's health and nutrition program on the ground in Samoa
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MANN: Just actually been involved as of yesterday really, so the preparations and the proposal has not been clearly been reviewed, so it is a bit premature to say that.
COUTTS: Why measles and Vitamin A in particular at this point in time?
MANN: Measles is a highly contagious disease and has serious repercussions and of course is the type of illness, that can cause different kinds of death. Vitamin A is an adjutant which can actually improve the outcome of measles and actually improve the outcome of many diseases, including pneumonia and diarrhoeal diseases.
COUTTS: And so what age frame are you looking at? What would be the tops when you are talking about children?
MANN: Well, that is under discussion as well. It could be as young as six months to as old as 15 years of age.
COUTTS: And are you looking at the other islands as well, like Tonga and American Samoa?
MANN: Well, that is not under our remit at the moment and it's the same country, so we are here at the moment organising this area of the response.
COUTTS: Eleven thousand children, it sounds like an awful lot in Samoa?
MANN: Well, it's the wider age group if we took the six months to 15 years olds and it would total approximately that.
COUTTS: Now how long has UNICEF been in Samoa? Have you just arrived?
MANN: Well, we've always had a small presence here, but we start to mobilise people immediately and had a larger emergency response team here within two and two and a half days.
COUTTS: Okay, and so what is your assessment now? I presume you are just looking at the children there in Samoa, so what is your assessment of how they are doing?
MANN: Well, just to correct you and in addition looking at particularly mothers, pregnant and lactating women. The assessment is that in general, emergency curative services which are being very well cared for a lot to the thanks of the New Zealand and Australian High Commissions and the defence forces of both those countries, but most importantly the National Health Service and the Ministry of Health have more urging Australian job of responding.
Right now, a lot of the issues have to do with nutrition, tetanus is at high risk, there is concern that with sanitation and water supplies compromised, that diarrhoeal diseases will have an impact. Children, of course, are particularly vulnerable to diarrhoeal diseases with a smaller compensation as they become dehydrated.
COUTTS: And have you been able to prevent any of that, the dehydration and diarrhoeal diseases?
MANN: Well, we're ensuring that adequate supplies of oral rehydration salts are available and along with. I mean it is a hugely collaborative effort. There is a lot of actors on the ground here and we're one player but helping in coordination to ensure there is no gaps in the response.
COUTTS: And you mention that you are also caring for pregnant women and lactating mothers. Are there many, are there many of them?
MANN: There is yes, I mean there is like what you would expect there to be.
COUTTS: Which is what?
MANN: Yeah, that would be roughly three per cent of the population I guess.
COUTTS: Yeah, so it is a very high number, isn't it? And what are their special needs?
MANN: Hmm, prone to anaemia for one thing and also micronutrient deficiencies, so that is something that you want to ensure they have adequate vitamins basically and a balanced diet and a varied diet and indicating their good health and their subsequent health.
