UN AGENCIES LAUNCH NEXT ROUND OF CHILD HEALTH INITIATIVE IN SOMALIA

The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have launched a second round of Child Health Days in Somalia in a bid to improve child survival rates in the violence-wracked country.

The aim of the days is to deliver a package of critical health services, including vaccinations, vitamin supplements and hygiene education, to children under five and to women of child-bearing age.

The first round of Child Health Days, held during the first six months of this year, reached an estimated 1.8 million women and children throughout the country. This time, some 5,000 volunteers are targeting 1 million women and children in the Somaliland region, before moving on to the central-south region and Puntland in October and December.

The package includes measles and polio immunization, vitamin A supplementation, de-worming, aqua-tabs to treat drinking water, hygiene education, tetanus vaccination for women, and nutritional screening and referral.
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