Children, in Iraq, aged one to five, have missed out on their routine jabs for against most diseases because of instability in the countryIraq’s Ministry of Health is organising the two-week MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) immunisation campaign, which is also being funded by the European Commission.
Measles remains a leading cause of death among young children, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine for the past 40 years. An estimated 345 000 people, the majority of them children, died from measles in 2005
Roger Wright, Unicef special representative for Iraq is quoted to have said:
The timing of this MMR campaign is critical. This vaccine will certainly save many young lives and we are calling on everyone in Iraq to ensure vaccinators reach children safely over the next two weeks.
Measles is one of the most contagious viral diseases. Caused by paramyxo virus, it is the most unpleasant and the most dangerous of the children’s diseases. While measles is probably best known for the full-body rash that it causes, the first symptoms of the infection are usually a hacking cough, runny nose, high fever, and watery red eyes. Another marker of measles are Koplik’s spots, small red spots with blue-white centers that appear inside the mouth.
Seeing Iraq’s humanitarian crisis, it will remain a Herculean task to get to the children in the most terror-ravaged areas.
Source: BBC
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Your article is beautiful, informative and Excellent.
Future war will be for Land and water
In the coming century, new challenges are emerging. We are confronted with both old and new threats to international scarsity of many commodities especially good air and water causing security of population; resulting widespread poverty. It has to be recognized by world leaders as the most daunting of all the problems facing the world in the new century; and fundamental values of freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature and shared responsibility now form common values through which achievements in all the fother categories can be realized. In each of these key areas environment and resources play a central role. Threats to common security now include so-called ‘soft threats’: environmental degradation, resource depletion, contagious diseases and corruption, to name just a few. It is now recognized that environmental degradation and both scarcity and abundance of natural resources are potential sources of conflict – and cooperation – and need to be more systematically addressed in this context. Access to fresh water and sanitation services are a precondition to achieving the other internationally accepted goals in the Millennium Declaration.
Scarcity of water is a function of supply and demand. Demand is increasing at an alarming rate in some regions, through population growth and increasing per capita use. In many water-scarce oil rich Gulf countries,saline water purification may be temperoryaffordable method.But we have to find out pemanent solutions by preserving the eco sysytem. The second crisis is deteriorating water quality. Agriculture is the biggest polluter: increased use of fertilizer and pesticides has contaminated both groundwater and surface water supplies. Domestic and industrial pollution is also increasing, and the problem affects mailny in developed and partially in developing countries.
All nations should coperate to understand the importance of an integrated approach to water resource management at both international and local levels. Equity and rights, cultural and ethical issues are essential to be addressed when dealing with limited water resources. Imbalances between availability and demand, the degradation of groundwater and surface water quality, intersectoral competition, interregional and international disputes, all center around the question of how to cope with scarce water resources.
http://www.irinnews.org/webspecials/runningdry/default.asp
nature.com
www,teri.org
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/en/.