18 June 2014, Erbil – Health authorities are implementing measures to prevent the spread of polio and other diseases among children displaced during the ongoing crisis in Iraq. Around 300 000 people have entered various parts of the Kurdistan region, especially Duhok and Erbil, over the past few days. Government sources indicate that these displaced people, about half of whom are children, have mostly settled in host communities.
Iraq recorded its first polio case earlier this year after 14 years of being polio free. With poor routine immunization among people from conflict zones, the Region has now become vulnerable to a bigger outbreak with high numbers of unvaccinated or under-immunized children. A catch up polio campaign is tentatively planned from 29 June to 3 July targeting more than 700 000 children under the age of 5. This will be the first time in which Iraq has organized a mass public health campaign during the holy month of Ramadan.
