Todd P. Dezen, (914) 997-4608
Robert Storace, (914) 997-4622
NEW RUBELLA VACCINATION CAMPAIGN IN CENTRAL ASIA FUNDED BY MARCH OF DIMES
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., NOV. 29, 2001 -- As part of its international efforts to prevent serious birth defects, the March of Dimes is providing $100,000 in funding to purchase rubella vaccine for children and young people in the nation of Kyrgyzstan, it was announced today.
The new vaccination campaign is being administered by the United States Fund for UNICEF.
"Rubella infection in early pregnancy can be disastrous for a fetus, causing severe birth defects including blindness, deafness, and mental retardation, or miscarriage and stillbirth," said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. "Fortunately, these heartbreaking problems can be prevented by a safe and effective vaccine that stops the spread of rubella to women who may be pregnant."
According to UNICEF, a full schedule of measles-mumps-rubella childhood immunizations will be introduced in Kyrgyzstan in 2002. The March of Dimes funding will provide rubella vaccine to help the older children and adults "catch up" to the full schedule, Dr. Howse said. "We hope this is the beginning of a new effort to prevent birth defects among children in Kyrgyzstan and in other nations," Dr. Howse said.
Rubella -- also known as German measles -- is a mild, highly contagious childhood illness caused by a virus that is different from the one that causes measles (rubeola). Rubella poses very little risk to children, but is a major threat to a fetus. The birth defects caused by this virus are referred to collectively as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS).
CRS includes eye defects (resulting in vision loss or blindness), hearing loss, heart defects, mental retardation and, less frequently, cerebral palsy. Many children with CRS are slow in learning to walk and to do simple tasks, though some eventually catch up and do well. Children with CRS are also at increased risk of diabetes, which may develop during childhood or adulthood.
The March of Dimes recommends that all children be vaccinated against rubella, unless there is a medical reason why they should not.
UNICEF says Kyrgyzstan is the first country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe to address the problem of CRS since all countries in the region endorsed the WHO plan to reduce the incidence of CRS to less than 1 per 100,000 by the year 2007. It is hoped that the new vaccination campaign will ultimately prevent CRS in about 6,000 babies every year in Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous republic of about 4.7 million people situated to the west of China. It also borders Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It achieved independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at www.marchofdimes.com, its Spanish Web site at www.nacersano.org, or call 1-888-MODIMES.
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