Helen Keller International
Delivers Health Package to
2 Million Children in
Senegal
Dakar, Senegal, January 10, 2006 – Helen Keller International (HKI) reached 100% of children targeted for vitamin A supplementation (VAS) during a campaign in Senegal from December 8-12, 2005. HKI oversaw the delivery of vitamin A to nearly 2 million Senegalese children who also received the polio vaccine and deworming medication as part of an integrated child health package. The second of two annual campaigns, this most recent round of VAS days was carried out in collaboration with PATH, UNICEF, the United States Agency for International Development’s BASICS program and World Health Organization through support from the Canadian International Development Agency and Micronutrient Initiative.
Using an innovative door-to-door
strategy, HKI and its partners
enabled the distribution of the
polio oral vaccine to more than
2.2 million children under five,
vitamin A capsules to more than
2 million children from six months
to five years old, and mebendazole
for deworming to more than 1.7
million children from one to five
years old. In an effort to
gain political and social support
of the new child health package,
HKI disseminated information to
the Senegalese Minister of Health,
broadcast a television spot and
posted logos and signs, shown below,
advocating VAS, breastfeeding and
the daily consumption of vitamin
A-rich foods. HKI
and UNICEF also developed a training
manual in French to provide guidelines
for integrating deworming activities
into VAS days.
The first VAS campaign in Senegal took place in August, and its goal was to protect children against vitamin A deficiency-related disorders. During the second campaign, HKI and its partners adopted a broader focus to reflect the VAS Consensus Statement endorsed by delegates from 17 countries in West and Central Africa. The statement recommends incorporating the control of infectious and parasitic diseases as part of an integrated assault against VAD.
The need for these efforts is great. A recent HKI study showed that 42.4% of children in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk of vitamin A deficiency, and a 2005 survey showed that a startling 84% of Senegalese children under five suffer from anemia. The condition results not only from diets lacking iron but also from the effects of intestinal worms that can be combated with the drug mebendazole.
Click on the links below to learn more about HKI’s VAS and deworming activities.
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