國際醫療救援機構暫停索馬里麻疹疫苗

The international medical aid agency Doctors Without Borders has suspended its measles vaccination campaign near the Somali capital, following intense fighting there.

國際醫療救援機構無國界醫生由於索馬里首都摩加迪沙附近的戰事激烈，已經暫停了在當地施打麻疹疫苗的活動。

The measles vaccination campaign was supposed to have lasted for three weeks, reaching 35,000 children in and around the Daynile area on the outskirts of Mogadishu.

施打麻疹疫苗活動原來預計爲期三個星期，對象是摩加迪沙郊區的代內爾地區內外3萬5000名兒童。

Instead, on the sixth day, the campaign was cut short. Only 4,831 children had received their vaccinations at that point.

但活動在第6天就中斷了，當時全部只有4831名兒童接種了麻疹疫苗。

The head of Doctors Without Borders’ programs in Somalia, Duncan Mclean, says measles combined with malnutrition is the main cause of death among children in Somalia. He says the suspension puts children in the Daynile area at grave risk.

無國界醫生索馬里項目主任鄧肯.邁克林說，麻疹加上營養不良是索馬里兒童死亡的主因。他說，暫停施打麻疹疫苗使代內爾地區的兒童處於極大的危險。

“Any attempt to slowdown the current measles outbreak or epidemic in this part of Somalia will be limited because the only way you can really make a difference is if you get up to 90 percent coverage," said Mclean. "If we stop outreach vaccination, we will simply have a very, very low coverage and the number of measles cases will continue to be spread and consequently increase.”

邁克林說：“任何想緩解目前在索馬里這個地區爆發麻疹疫情或大流行的努力都很有限，因爲唯一有效的辦法就是將疫苗接種率提高到90%。如果我們停止施打疫苗，接種率就變得非常低，麻疹病例數目會持續增加。”

He says that the conflict has made it impossible for his group to continue the outreach vaccinations.

邁克林說，衝突使得無國界醫生無法繼續施打疫苗的活動。

“Moving beyond the hospital, by putting the teams themselves at risk, the medical staff at risk, they are going to be no good to anyone," said Mclean. "So it really curtails what we can do beyond the basic activity within the structures [of the hospital].”

邁克林說：“到醫院外施打疫苗讓醫療團隊和醫療人員處於危險，這對任何人都沒好處。所以這限制了我們在醫院外施打疫苗的能力。”

Heavy clashes between militant group al-Shabab and forces of Somalia's Transitional National Government, backed by the African Union Mission in Somalia, broke out last week in Daynile.

武裝團體青年黨和索馬里過渡政府部隊上星期在代內爾爆發激烈交火。索馬里過渡政府受非洲聯盟駐索馬里使團所支持。Doctors Without Borders reports that its teams at Daynile Hospital treated 83 people on Thursday and Friday, mostly for wounds from gunshots or explosions.

無國界醫生報告說，他們的團隊星期四和星期五在代內爾醫院治療了83人，大部分都是槍傷或炸傷。

Also, 24 malnourished children were receiving intensive treatment from the medical aid agency when the clashes broke out. Most of the mothers fled with their children, leaving only six of the 24 children still under care.

同時有24名營養不良的兒童在衝突爆發之際接受了無國界醫生的密集治療。大部分母親都和孩子一起逃走，24名兒童中只剩下6名還在接受治療。

Meanwhile, the results of prolonged warfare and drought in Somalia are proving to be a breeding ground for measles. The disease is spread through coughing and sneezing, and tens of thousands of families are living in crowded camps.

在此同時，索馬里曠日持久的戰事和乾旱被證明是麻疹流行的溫牀。麻疹經由咳嗽和打噴嚏傳染，而索馬里有成千上萬的家庭住在擁擠的難民營裏。

Malnourished children are even more susceptible to being infected because of their weakened immune systems. In south-central Somalia, the U.N. children’s agency reports 40 percent of children under the age of five are acutely malnourished.

營養不良的兒童因爲免役系統變弱甚至更容易被感染。在索馬里中南部，聯合國兒童基金會報告說，40%的5歲以下兒童嚴重營養不良。

Overall, the U.N. children’s agency estimates 9,000 cases of measles have been reported in Somalia since January.

整體而言，聯合國兒童基金會估計，自從1月後索馬里共有9000個通報的麻疹案例。