One case of measles confirmed in Aceh

One case of measles confirmed in Aceh

Agencies, Jakarta/Meulaboh

A single case of measles has been confirmed in a young survivor
of Indonesia's tsunami disaster, a spokesman for Unicef said on
Monday.

The UN children's agency is in the midst of a campaign to
vaccinate 600,000 people in the devastated regions of Sumatra
island against the disease, which can be deadly to children if
not treated, said Unicef Indonesia spokesman John Budd.

According to Unicef, measles is a highly contagious viral
infection that kills more children than any other vaccine-
preventable disease.

The virus weakens the immune system and renders children very
susceptible to fatal complications from diarrhea, pneumonia and
encephalitis.

Children that survive measles can be left with permanent
disabilities, including brain damage, blindness and deafness.

"In this situation, it is deadly to children," Budd said. "But
we have to keep this in perspective -- it is a single case."

Shannon Strother of the Unicef said her colleagues were
working with the Health Ministry and organizations such as
Medecins sans Frontieres to launch a vaccination program for
children under 15 years.

Aid agencies have warned that the spread of disease,
particularly among people now crammed into refuge camps, could
hike the country's death toll from last month's disaster well
above the current figure of 104,000.

"Vaccinations against measles are a priority," said Strother.
"We have already one case of measles confirmed here.

"Yesterday, we brought in a small amount of vaccines for
measles and tetanus, and today we will be transporting more than
25,000 doses," she said.

The first United Nations team -- totaling five people -- have
only just arrived in the remote west coast town of Meulaboh, two
weeks after it was almost totally destroyed by the tsunami.