Aid agencies hail millions of measles vaccinations in NKorea

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2007

GENEVA (AFP) — More than 16 million children and adults have been vaccinated against measles in North Korea in the last two months, marking one of the fastest responses to a major outbreak of the disease, international relief agencies said on Friday.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organisation and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies funded and organised the campaign after a request from the North Korean authorities in February.

"This was a remarkable example of good cooperation between different organisations," said Jaap Timmer, head of the Red Cross delegation in the authoritarian and secretive communist state.

"The local Red Cross volunteers, who have been trained in first aid and community...