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.