A massive vaccination drive and HIV prevention campaign are being implemented in an effort to minimize the spread of disease inside a Port-au-Prince camp where more than 20,000 displaced Haitians are staying, reported the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

"With people living so close together, the risk of the spread of communicable diseases remains extremely high," said Sandra Golles, health services coordinator for the ADRA Emergency Response Center in Haiti. "We are hoping our ongoing health activities will avert a potential epidemic."

For several weeks, ADRA has been conducting a mass vaccination drive, immunizing more than 6,000 camp residents to date, including infants, children and adults, against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, measles and rubella. ADRA is also providing vitamin A supplements to avert blindness among young children, and de-worming medication. This week, ADRA expanded its vaccination services to two additional camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), as well as a Women’s Center.

The campaign has received the support of the U.S Public Health Service, which has helped train Haitian nurses, many of whom were displaced by the disaster and are living in the camp. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has provided many of the essential items for the vaccinations, including syringes and soap as well as the vaccines themselves. The campaign is being implemented in conjunction with the Haitian Ministry of Health, which conducts routine visits to the vaccination site.

ADRA’s current goal is to vaccinate 14,000 people. The ongoing campaign is part of a larger effort by the Haitian Ministry of Health, with support from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the United Nation’s Children’s Fund, and non-governmental partners.

In addition, ADRA has distributed more than 3,000 condoms within the camp in an effort to reduce the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Plans are also underway to begin HIV and STD health education classes. This is particularly important as Haiti has the highest rate of HIV of any nation in the Caribbean region.

"It is unprecedented to have such a huge natural disaster in a country with a high HIV prevalence," said Mr. Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS.

Before the January earthquake, there were approximately 120,000 people living with HIV in Haiti, where the population is estimated at more than 9 million, according to the United Nations (UN).

ADRA International is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.

For more information about ADRA, visit www.adra.org