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MOGADISHU, July 14 (Reuters) - At least 18 children under the age
of five have died in southern Somalia from a measles outbreak that
threatens hundreds of infants in the war-ravaged Horn of African
country, residents said on Monday.
The children died in villages close to the town of Jowhar, 90 km
(50 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu, where an interim government
is facing a near-daily Islamist insurgency.
Local elders accused health officials of laxity, saying there were
no health facilities close by and the disease was fast spreading to
other areas.
"Six children have died this week from measles in Dumal village and
10 others are seriously ill," local elder Hasan Mohamud told Reuters
from Jowhar.
"The other 12 have died in nearby villages. The nearest health
centre is 40 km (25 miles) away. All the children were not vaccinated
against measles. We are appealing for urgent help because hundreds of
children are at risk," he added.
According to the United Nations children agency UNICEF measles is a
leading cause of childhood death in Somalia, a country with one of the
highest infant mortality rates in the world.
UNICEF says only 5 percent of infants in Somalia have been immunized against measles and other life threatening diseases.
On Sunday local aid workers held crisis meetings as anxiety rose
over the unexplained killings of humanitarian staff and leaflets
threatening them with death if they do not quit their jobs.
Most agencies were discussing suspending operations in Mogadishu
and the south, aid sources said. (Writing by Guled Mohamed in Nairobi;
Editing by Giles Elgood) (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have
your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/)
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SOURCE: Reuters, July 14, 2008