2003 Aid Program Report As in 2002, aid from the Think the Earth Project was used for polio vaccinations in Myanmar. The aid was also used for hepatitis B vaccinations in India. In 2003, the Japan Committee, Vaccines for the World�fs Children (JCV) put special emphasis on the promotion and strengthening of donation activities; JCV also took substantial measures in terms of operational structure in order to be recognized as an authorized NPO. 2003 Activity Results �¡ Vaccination Activities in Myanmar In 2003, equipment for vaccinations, including polio vaccines amounting to US$250,000 (approximately 30 million yen) and 600 bicycles used for polio vaccination activities and also by nurses to visit family with children. Fees required for monitoring activities were also provided. Polio Vaccination Activities Vaccinations for polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, measles, and tetanus were provided at urban and rural health and maternity centers under the auspices of the government of Myanmar, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO) to protect the children of Myanmar from such illnesses. In order to carry out such vaccination activities smoothly, public health nurses and assistants were placed at each health center. JCV puts priority on the protection of Myanmar�fs children from polio infection by providing polio vaccines, one of the regular vaccinations necessary each year. Moreover, gradual implementation of hepatitis B vaccinations began in Myanmar with hopes of providing such vaccinations to the entire nation by 2005. JCV�fs vaccination assistance in Myanmar began in 1996 with the �gNational Immunization Day�h implemented on a national level in developing nations under the guidance of the WHO, whereby polio vaccinations were provided. Since then, polio vaccinations have been continuously provided to children under the age of five. Myanmar has a tropical climate, and because polio vaccines should be kept at low temperatures, one day each in December and January, the coolest months of the year, has been allocated to vaccinations. Children are obligated to receive two vaccinations at one of the nation�fs vaccination posts. This national event has been conducted for ten years, from 1992 to 2002, on a national level, yielding outstanding results whereby cases of polio have neared zero in Myanmar. Since 2003, specific regions have been targeted for the �gRegional Vaccination Day�h; these are the states of Kachin, Rakhaing, and Sagaing, to name a few, and some 770,000 children under the age of five have received vaccinations. 600 Bicycles for Health Nurses Health nurses and assistants have been stationed in the urban and rural health and maternity centers�BThey visit homes in the area 2 to 3 times a week to monitor the health conditions of children and pregnant women. When they visit homes, they carry with them cooler boxes to preserve the polio vaccines at low temperatures, as well as medical equipment. Not only does this take a long time on foot, but it is also hard physical labor. But with bicycles, the nurses and assistants can take roads inaccessible to cars, thereby increasing the frequency of visits to homes, and bikes also lighten the physical burden on nurses and assistants. Monitoring Through monitoring, the effect of the vaccination activities are assessed and evaluated, then concrete solutions are found as necessary. More specifically, the level of achievement for the following objectives is numerically evaluated, and activities to resolve existent problems are implemented: 1. Are sufficient amounts of vaccines being delivered? 2. Are syringes, needles, and other equipment being received? 3. Are assessments being made with respect to the project planned and what was actually implemented? 4. Is the cold chain (infrastructure of freezers and refrigerators, etc.) smoothly managed? 5. Are vaccination activities being carried out as directed? 6. Are various reports being made with respect to preservation of vaccines and their distribution? Future Tasks Myanmar is one step away from eradicating polio, but they still have many issues they must overcome in order to reach that goal. Issues at hand include the rise in the price of vaccines, promotion of polio vaccination activities in the border regions, and the reinforcement of cooling equipment in each region. �¡ Vaccination Activities in India For six months from June 2003 until December the same year, hepatitis B vaccinations were carried out together with the government of India and the state government to 64,000 children in the Tibetan refugee residential district in Mysore district of the state of Karnataka. Research has shown that southern and central Indian Tibetan communities have a higher infection rate of hepatitis B than other regions. These vaccination activities were a part of the regular vaccination activities conducted by UNICEF India; in order to strengthen these activities, a sum of 15 million yen was provided. JCV will continue to support vaccination activities in order to contribute to the augmentation of the health policies of the Indian national and municipal governments. 2003 Financing Total Contributions Myanmar: \30,000,000 �@�@�@�@�@�@India: \‚P‚T,000,000 Activities at a Glance A nurse visits a home on a bicycle. Mother and child look at posters on National Immunization Day. A mother and her child have come to receive a vaccination. Waiting for registration for immunization at one of the health centers. Checking the state of preservation of vaccinations with a thermometer. >>> Back to "JCV" page