Ethiopia wrapped up a massive vaccination campaign that reached over 18.5 million kids under five – hitting 99% of its target in a push to prevent deadly measles outbreaks, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa. The 10-day campaign in May covered all 12 regions and did way more than just measles shots. Health workers screened nearly 19 million children for malnutrition, gave vitamin A to over 15 million kids, and identified almost 50,000 sick children who needed medical care.
Measles kills kids, especially in countries where routine vaccination coverage has gaps. Ethiopia designed this campaign to close those immunity gaps and stop outbreaks before they start, targeting children aged 9 months to 5 years old. The timing was crucial since parts of the country were already dealing with measles cases that could spread quickly without intervention.
The campaign became a one-stop health shop for families. Nearly 200,000 kids who’d never been vaccinated got their shots, while more than 200,000 under-vaccinated children caught up on missing doses. Health workers found almost 875,000 kids with moderate malnutrition and over 122,000 with severe malnutrition – problems that make children more vulnerable to diseases like measles.
“I would like to congratulate the Ministry of Health for marking a significant milestone in delivering life-saving services to vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations,” said WHO Representative Dr. Owen Kaluwa. The campaign also dewormed over 11 million children, gave COVID-19 shots to high-priority groups, and even identified over 1,300 suspected cases of obstetric fistula for treatment.
WHO provided technical and financial support throughout the effort, from planning to training to supervision. The success came from government agencies, partners, communities, and media working together to spread awareness and build trust in vaccines – showing what’s possible when everyone pulls in the same direction to protect children’s health.
