Disasters and Emergencies

Supporting Information

Disease can spread quickly when people are crowded together. All children living in congested conditions, particularly in refugee or disaster situations, should be immunized immediately, especially against measles, at the first point of contact or settlement. Vitamin A supplements should also be provided.

All immunizations in emergency settings should be given with auto-disable syringes – syringes that can be used only once.

Measles is even more serious when children are malnourished or living in conditions of poor sanitation.

• As measles spreads very quickly, a child with measles needs to be isolated from other children, examined by a trained health worker and given vitamin A supplements.
• Measles frequently causes severe diarrhoea. Immunizing children against measles prevents diarrhoea and protects against pneumonia.

If, for any reason, a child has not had the full series of immunizations in the first year of life, it is extremely important to have the child fully immunized as soon as possible.