China to vaccinate 100 mn kids against measles

BEIJING - Over 100 million children, including those of foreigners living in China, will be vaccinated in the country’s largest ever measles immunisation campaign, the ministry of health has said.

The campaign would target children aged between eight months to fours years, the China Daily reported Thursday.

The 10-day vaccination programme, funded by the central government and free of charge for the children, will start Sep 11. The programme is crucial for meeting the goal of eliminating measles by 2012, said Health Minister Chen Zhu.

In 2009, over 52,000 people in China were reported to have contracted measles, accounting for 86 percent of the total cases in the World Health Organisation’s West Pacific Region, and nearly 32 percent of the world’s total.

“China is a priority country in the global fight against measles,” said Michael O’Leary, WHO’s representative in China.