Children under five will be vaccinated against polio, measles and rubella (mumps) in both the DR and Haiti next weekend. As part of the vaccination campaign sponsored by the Pan-American Organization of the Health (OPS), the Fund of the United Nations for the Childhood (UNICEF), the Center of Rehabilitation and the Ministry of Public Health, the inoculations will begin on Friday morning in the DR, and Saturday in the border town of Fond-Parisien, Haiti.
Officials are urging mothers to have their children be part of the campaign, in which they hope to vaccinate 888,000 children against rubella and measles and 1,117,000 against polio. The vaccinations have been donated by Brazil, the United States and Japan and will be administered by 12,000 workers from organizations such as Alliance ONG, the Red Cross, the police, the Office of the First Lady, the Rehabilitation Association of the DR and others.
The Public Health Ministry will oversee the Dominican efforts to immunize and will also assist Haitian officials conduct their immunization week starting this Saturday.