Nepal faces risk of measles outbreak: Unicef

Over half-a-million children are being targeted in an emergency vaccination drive in Nepal due to fears of measles outbreak in the informal camps that have sprung up since the April 25 earthquake.

Lack of shelter and sanitation are huge factors for the disease, as the number of people who have fled their homes continues to grow, with many people now living next to their damaged houses, the UN agency said here on Tuesday.

According to the figures available before the earthquake jolted the Himalayan nation, around one in 10 children in the country was 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," said Tomoo Hozumi, the Unicef's representative in Nepal.

In the wake of this risk factor, Nepal's ministry of health and population, with support from Unicef and the World Health Organisation (WHO), has launched a campaign against measles.

"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," Tomoo said. 

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 temblor.

"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," the UN representative added.

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. 

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.