Disease outbreaks reported: Pertussis in Afghanistan - Update
Following the previous
report of an outbreak of pertussis
in Afghanistan, an emergency team of health officials from the United Nations,
WHO and the Afghan Ministry of Health have been working in the Khwahan
and Darwaz districts giving the antibiotic, erythromycin, to those
people who are not immunized against pertussis. The team is implementing
a 10 day treatment regimen of erythromycin to all children under
15 years of age in 5 affected subdistricts. Thirty-nine 2-person
teams are treating 100 children each day in 189 villages.