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Measles Campaign successfully concluded
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    The 1997 Special Measles Vaccination Campaign, organised by the Department of Health (DH), concluded successfully last Saturday (November 15), with more than 1.09 million people aged from one to 19 immunised against the acute communicable disease.

    "Since the Campaign was launched on July 28, a total of 1,090,985 people, aged from one to 19, have turned up for vaccinations, representing 76 per cent of the target population of this age group," a DH spokesman said today (Monday).

    The vaccination exercise, the largest of this kind ever organised to avert a predicted measles epidemic next year, was conducted in three phases, targeting respectively at youngsters aged between 12 and 19, children and primary school students aged between six and 11, and children and kindergarten students aged between one and five.

    "In the 12-19 age group, 430,000 youngsters were vaccinated, representing about 74 per cent of the target," the spokesman said.

    "In the latter two age groups, 416,920 and 234,136 children were vaccinated, representing 89 per cent and 64 per cent of their respective targets."

    The spokesman attributed the good results obtained within such a short period of time to a high public awareness of the seriousness of the disease and the positive and enthusiastic response of the parents.

    "This Campaign has provided the susceptible groups with maximum protection against measles. With this coverage, we are confident that the predicted outbreak can be averted," the spokesman said.

    In order that everyone in the target group is immunised against the disease, he said, it is important that those who, for various reasons, have not come forward for the second dose of vaccination, should receive similar protection.

    "They should either approach any of our General Out-patient Clinics (GOPCs) or Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) for the vaccination service in the next few weeks or receive the inoculations from their private medical practitioners at their own expenses," the spokesman added.

    Enquiries about measles vaccinations can be directed to any GOPC and MCHC during office hours.

Ends/Monday, November 17, 1997
Issued at HKT 18:13

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