Reaching the hard to reach - Fighting measles and rubella in Rakhine State

 

©UNICEF Myanmar/2015/Thiha Htun
Wading through streams carrying iceboxes containing measles and rubella vaccine, Ministry of Health staff make great efforts to reach the hard to reach

 By Virginia Henderson

 

Rakhine State, February 2015: Wading barefoot through streams, climbing over steep narrow hill paths, crossing wobbly log bridges and walking hours over parched dusty plains- teams from Myanmar’s Ministry of Health, UNICEF and WHO went to great lengths to reach children in out-of-the-way places around the country.

 

In tiny villages and large towns around the country, 12,000 vaccination teams were part of Myanmar’s largest ever public health intervention. The National Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign, aiming to reach more than 17 million children aged nine months to 15 years, covered nearly 65,000 villages and 45,000 schools over two-phases.

The national Measles and Rubella campaign

The national Measles and Rubella campaign, which aimed to protect some 17 million children across Myanmar, was a tremendous success! The mobilisation of nurses, teachers and countless community leaders has resulted in an excellent coverage- around 95% nation-wide.

Even in areas of conflict and intercommunal tensions such as Rakhine and Kachin States, unprecedented engagement of health and education workers and community leaders helped to reach levels comparable to the national average.

Follow this link to discover some of the steps taken during Myanmar’s largest ever public health intervention.