Eastern Province — The massive vaccination campaign which kicks off on September 5 to 9, this year, is expected to cost about ten million United States dollars, a World Health Organization (WHO) official, Celes Rugamba, has disclosed.

Rugamba made the disclosure last week during a training session for heads of hospitals and health centers, health assistants and other health practitioners from Rwamagana District.

"The vaccination campaign against measles will be conducted country wide; children between 9 months and five years will be vaccinated against measles," he said. Under the arrangement, 1,288,068 are expected to be vaccinated.

Rugamba also disclosed that during the vaccination exercise, children between 6 and five years will receive Vitamin A doses, to boost their immune systems and to protect them against infectious disease.

Coupled with this, at least 90% of the 1,008,836 children aged between one to five years will receive Mebendazole doses, while at least 90% of the 1.301,579 children between 6 months and five years will receive mosquito nets.

The Mebendazole dose is meant to get rid of intestinal parasites whose consequences are severe diarrhea and retarded development. As similar de-worming campaign coupled with Vitamin A administering was conducted in 2005. It mainly targeted all children and women in Rwanda.

During the campaign, the Ministry of Health, through the United Nations Expanded Programme on Immunization (UNEP) will be responsible for the procurement of impregnated mosquito nets and the realization of the campaign.

And, according to Rugamba, United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) will be responsible for the procurement of vaccines, injection materials, Vitamin A, Mebendazole, as well as social mobilization efforts, while WHO will provide technical direction and support in addition to the evaluation and monitoring of the campaign.

In February 2003, a wide-reaching measles vaccination campaign attempted to vaccinate all children between 9 months and 14 years in what was dubbed as "Catch-Up" campaign. During this campaign, a total of 3,082,583 children were vaccinated.