Measles & Rubella Initiative

A mother waits with her child at the Langata Health Clinic in Nairobi to be vaccinated against measles. Kenya Red Cross volunteers have been going door to door to let families know about the measles campaign that targeted 19 million children ages 9 months to 14 years. It is one of the largest immunization campaigns in history.

Badra Essa was thrilled to learn that a measles vaccination campaign was coming to her village in remote Ethiopia. A Red Cross volunteer had visited her house before when her eldest son, Atatef, fell ill with measles. The chance to vaccinate and protect her youngest son was an opportunity she couldn’t miss. “I felt so sad when Atatef was ill”, Essa said. “He was sick for three months. Now I tell my neighbors to vaccinate their children. It is so important to prevent this disease.”

Children at the launch of the national measles campaign at the Yeshmnesh Academy in the Benishagul region of Ethiopia.

Children being vaccinated in Oda, Ethiopia.

Mothers wait with their children to get vaccinated at their local health clinic. The American Red Cross, as part of the Measles & Rubella Initiative, supported a measles vaccination campaign in Benin. Some 1,000 Benin Red Cross volunteers went door to door in three different cities to encourage mothers and fathers to vaccinate their children.