Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=FEBRUARY 19, 2003

TYPE=INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

TITLE=JO BAILEY/UNICEF-IRAQ

NUMBER=3-545

BYLINE=TOM CROSBY

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

INTERNET=

/// Editors: This interview is available in Dalet under SOD/English News Now Interviews in the folder for today or yesterday ///

HOST: As tensions build over a possible war in Iraq...the United Nations Children's Fund...or UNICEF...and other aid agencies are embarking on a nationwide campaign in Iraq next week to immunize four million children against polio. During the four-day campaign (February 23-27) more than 14-thousand health workers will be spreading out across Iraq

Jo Bailey is a spokeswoman for UNICEF in New York. She tells VOA's Tom Crosby next week's campaign in Iraq actually has a dual purpose:

MS. BAILEY: We look to do two things. We're aiming to reach 4 million children with polio vaccine -- that's protecting 4 million children against the devastating effects of polio -- and we are hoping to reach 500,000 Iraqi children who previously were not vaccinated against measles.

MR. CROSBY: Why is it that they have gone unvaccinated so long? This is a large number of people, of kids, who, under most circumstances, we'd like to think, should have been treated.

MS. BAILEY: Yes, we absolutely agree with that. The reason why these children have gone unvaccinated is simply that we weren't able to reach them initially. All these children, all the 500,000, are under the age of 5. We have volunteers poring over vaccination records now, who will be going door to door next week in order to locate them. And we have every confidence that we will be able to reach these children.

MR. CROSBY: When you talk about a program like this and a country like Iraq, right now there is a lot of tension surrounding that country. Do you have any concerns at all about the safety of your workers who are going to be in the field?

MS. BAILEY: No, quite categorically, we have no safety concerns for ourselves. We have every reason to believe that both these campaigns will go off very well and very efficiently. This particular round of vaccinations and immunizations is actually being conducted with the partnership of the Iraqi Ministry of Health, with the World Health Organization and the Red Crescent. It's a very effective partnership and we have every reason to be confident that it will succeed.

MR. CROSBY: But no fears that these people might suddenly find themselves in the midst of a war?

MS. BAILEY: At this moment in time we sincerely hope that we will be able to reach all these children and that we will be able to protect them against both these diseases.

MR. CROSBY: When you talk about the kids, one of the problems of course that they confront in a country like Iraq is sanitation, isn't it, clean water, learning proper hygiene, and that sort of thing?

MS. BAILEY: Yes, that's absolutely right. One of the startling statistics about Iraq is that we know that one full quarter of all the people in the country don't actually have access to clean, safe water. That's a major issue. And actually water and sanitation is a massive element of UNICEF's current program there. We are working with the Iraqi Government and international NGO's who are all based in the country to actually try and up people's access to clean water and sanitation, to ensure that children aren't actually suffering from all those diseases which are very, very directly related to poor water and sanitation.

MR. CROSBY: But, again, you're looking to eventually reach 4 million children, if I understand correctly?

MS. BAILEY: Four million children through our polio campaign, most certainly. You've got to remember that UNICEF, in collaboration with many of its partners in national governments around the world, has a long, long history of doing enormous vaccination campaigns. We run many national immunization days, as we call them, where we've reached millions of children. For example, just only a couple of years ago, we reached 160 million children in India over a two-day period with polio vaccination. So, we have every reason to be confident that we can reach these 4 million kids in Iraq.

HOST: Jo Bailey, a spokeswoman for the United Nations Children's Fund in New York.

VNN/TC/RCS