Doctors Without Borders Coordinating Largest Vaccination Campaign Ever

Main Category: Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 05 May 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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Currently the medical teams of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are carrying out the largest vaccination campaign ever in the organization's history.

MSF medical teams have treated and vaccinated 5.4 million people. An additional 1.7 million will be vaccinated.

Niger,

Nigeria, and Chad have been hit by the worst meningitis outbreak since 1996. More than 50,000 people have been affected by this bacterial virus and more than 1,500 killed, just in this year alone. Meningitis is a very serious illness - without treatment, bacterial meningitis can kill up to 50 percent of those who present clinical symptoms of the disease. Most deaths occur within 48 hours of showing symptoms. However, even if patients are treated, some can still develop neurological complications for the rest of their lives.

MSF teams are running against the clock to treat patients affected by the epidemic as well as contain the spread of the virus by organizing targeted vaccination campaigns.

Further information:

MSF briefing document on our meningitis emergency intervention: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm

Source
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières

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