IOM Colombia has teamed up with the Ministry of Social Protection
to carry out a three-month vaccination campaign that is expected to
reach some 224,000 persons living in areas severely impacted by an
unusually long and heavy rainy season that caused floods,
landslides and killed more than 400 persons.

IOM is hiring qualified medical personnel who, with the support
of IOM field teams, will visit each affected family in their homes
or in public shelters, as well as medical centres and hospitals in
156 municipalities in 22 of the country's 32 departments.

With infants and children up to 6 years of age, pregnant women
and persons over 60 a priority, the vaccination campaign is
focusing on the prevention of tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus and
to fight bacteria such as pneumococcus, and viral agents such as
the rotavirus, which is the most common cause of severe diarrhoea
among infants and young children.

The teams will also provide anti-parasite medication and
micronutrients to children up to 5 years of age. The micronutrients
can be added to their meals to help fight nutritional
deficiencies.

According to official records, the heavy rains have adversely
affected more than three million Colombians living in 93 per cent
of Colombia's municipalities.

The USD 900,000 vaccination campaign is funded by Ministry of
Social Protection.

For more information, please contact:

Jorge Gallo

IOM Bogota

Tel: +57 1 639 7777

E-mail: "mailto:jgallo@iom.int">jgallo@iom.int