NEW YORK (May 4, 2015) – More than half a million children are being targeted in an emergency vaccination drive in Nepal – as fears grow of measles outbreaks in the informal camps that have sprung up since the earthquake on April 25.

The campaign was launched by the Nepalese Ministry of Health and Population, with support from UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Lack of shelter and sanitation are huge risk factors for disease - as the number of people who have fled their homes continues to grow, with many people now living next to their damaged houses.

According to figures available before the earthquake struck, around one in 10 children in Nepal is not vaccinated against measles. 

“Measles is very contagious, and can potentially be deadly, and we fear it could spread very quickly in the often crowded conditions in the improvised camps where many children are living,” says UNICEF’s Representative in Nepal, Tomoo Hozumi.

“We have been working for decades to eliminate measles in Nepal. Unless we act now, there is a real risk of it re-emerging as a major threat for children – a setback for all of our collective efforts.”

In the first wave of the emergency response, teams are working to immunise children under the age of five in informal settlements in the three densely populated districts in Kathmandu Valley – Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and Lalitpur. The drive will continue in the coming weeks in the 12 districts worst-hit by the earthquake.

“We are working with partners to take urgent practical steps to mobilise tens of thousands of vaccines, as well as the cold chain facilities needed to store them at the right temperature and keep them effective,” says Tomoo Hozumi. 

“We are doing everything possible to minimise the danger for children who have already been through so much.”

Around 1.7 million children remain in urgent need of humanitarian aid in the worst-hit areas of Nepal.

In addition to providing vaccinations to cut the risk of disease, UNICEF is prioritising access to clean water and sanitation for children across the worst-affected areas of the country.

Latest interventions include:

  • UNICEF has reached almost 90,000 people in Kavrepalanchok, Lalitpur and Kathmandu with sufficient water to drink, cook and wash.
  • Almost 80,000 people in seven severely affected districts (Gorkha, Dhading, Dolakha, Sindhupalchok, Kavrepalanchok, Lalitpur and Kathmandu) have been reached with hygiene education and materials.
  • Supplies that arrived in Kathmandu by air, including health kits, blankets and tents, are on their way to children in more remote and hard-to-reach areas.

UNICEF has launched a $50 million appeal to support its humanitarian response to the earthquake in Nepal over the next three months, as part of a wider inter-agency flash appeal.

How to help: For more information or to make a tax-deductible contribution to UNICEF’s relief efforts, please contact the U.S. Fund for UNICEF:

Website: www.unicefusa.org/nepal

Toll free: 1-800-FOR-KIDS

Text: Text "Nepal" to 864233 (UNICEF) to make a $10 donation

Mail: 125 Maiden Lane, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10038As with any emergency, in the event that donations exceed anticipated needs, the U.S. Fund will redirect any excess funds to children in greatest need.

Find us on Twitter: @unicefusa; join us on Facebook: UNICEF-USA

Interviews are available with UNICEF staff working on the emergency response.

A photo essay of a 4 year old girl who was vaccinated after her house in Lalitpur was destroyed is available for download here: http://uni.cf/1EMeQPP

Photos and children’s stories from the measles vaccination drive in the Kathmandu Valley are available here http://uni.cf/1I24Gvs ,with additional photos and videos here: http://uni.cf/1HH6SbO

About UNICEF

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

For more information, contact:

Marci Greenberg, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 212.922.2464, mgreenberg@unicefusa.org