Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Around 67 pct of Cambodian infants immunized for traditional diseases: UN official

October 11, 2006

Around 67 percent of the Cambodian infants are immunized for traditional diseases like measles, diphtheria, polio and tuberculosis before they reach 23 months old, the Cambodian Daily on Wednesday quoted a United Nations official as saying.

As a result, only 2 percent of Cambodian children die of measles nowadays, said Rasoka Thor, a doctor heading the child- survival program at the UN Children's Fund in Cambodia.

The above results were concluded from the 2006 Demographic Health Survey conducted by the fund.

The survey shows that how crucial it is to maintain disease- control programs even when progress is made, said Thor.

Vaccination must continue, or progress will stop, he added.

The program is now short of necessary fund to keep on its work in the upcoming year, which is the most serious headache for Thor and his colleagues.

The World Health Organization declared polio eradication in the kingdom in 2000. However, cases of rare type of polio were recently discovered in Kandal province and Phnom Penh, which promoted an emergency vaccination in January this year.

Source: Xinhua

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