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Deadly diseases like measles¹, tetanus and whooping² cough are on the rise in Ethiopia's Tigray area. Vaccination³ rates have fallen sharply there during the almost two-year-long civil war.

The percentage of children receiving usual vaccinations⁴ has fallen below 10 percent this year, data from the Tigray Health Bureau shows. That has undone⁵ years of government efforts to increase vaccination rates.

"The hopes of the children in the region to grow healthier and happier were snatched away in the blink of an eye," the agency wrote in a letter this month to the international vaccine⁶ group Gavi.

The letter said attacks on Tigray by Ethiopian government forces led to supply shortages that reduced the number of vaccinations. The Tigray agency also wrote that power outages have disrupted vaccine supply chains. The agency added that it is difficult for people in rural areas to get to health centers.

A ceasefire from March to late August made it possible for foreign medical aid to enter the area. But humanitarian⁷ access has been suspended since fighting began again, U.N. human rights experts said Monday.

The experts said in a report that they had reason to believe that the denial of access to healthcare and other aid by federal officials is a crime against humanity.

Ethiopian government officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the U.N. report.

The government has denied blocking aid and says the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the party leading the area government, is responsible for the conflict. The fighting has killed thousands of civilians⁸ in Tigray.

Measles outbreaks

Health Minister Lia Tadesse said vaccines⁹ had been provided to Tigray this year. She said that more were ready to be provided once conditions improved.

In its letter, the Tigray Health Bureau said the percentage of children receiving the full dosage of vaccines had dropped to very low levels.

Vaccination rates against several diseases including whooping cough, tetanus, and hepatitis B dropped from 99.3 percent in 2020 to 36 percent in 2021. This year, the vaccination rate is seven percent.

The rate across Ethiopia was 65 percent in 2021, said the U.N. children's agency UNICEF.

The letter also reports a drop in percentages of children being vaccinated¹⁰ against tuberculosis¹¹ and measles. The vaccination rate was above 90 percent in 2020 and is below 10 percent this year.

The letter said measles have spread in 10 of Tigray's 35 districts since the war began.

The nonprofit organization Gavi pays for and ships vaccines to developing countries. It said it had provided measles and COVID-19 vaccines during the ceasefire in Tigray, but that some activities had been suspended since fighting began again.

Ethiopia's Lia said 860,000 doses of measles vaccines were sent to Tigray last December and more doses were provided on April 2. And she said the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) is delaying a planned transport of humanitarian aid into Tigray.

But WFP spokesperson Claire Nevill said the agency was waiting on approval from Ethiopia's government.

Without the clearances¹³, she said, "lifesaving humanitarian supplies, including food, nutrition and medical items, will have to be on hold."

Words in This Story

region — n. a part of a country, of the world, etc., that is different or separate from other parts in some way

snatch — v. to take (something) quickly or eagerly

in the blink of an eye — n. very quickly

disrupt — v. to cause something to be unable to continue in the normal way

access — n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone

dose — n. the amount of a medicine, drug, or vitamin that is taken at one time

district — n. an area established by a government for official government business

clearance¹² — n. an official decision saying that someone has permission to do something

nutrition — n. the process of eating the right kind of food so you can grow properly and be healthy

1 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

2 whooping   

发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的

参考例句：

• Whooping cough is very prevalent just now. 百日咳正在广泛流行。
• Have you had your child vaccinated against whooping cough? 你给你的孩子打过百日咳疫苗了吗？

3 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

4 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 undone   

a.未做完的，未完成的

参考例句：

• He left nothing undone that needed attention.所有需要注意的事他都注意到了。

6 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

9 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

10 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

11 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

12 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

13 clearances   

清除( clearance的名词复数 )； 许可； （录用或准许接触机密以前的）审查许可； 净空

参考例句：

• But I can't get to him without clearances. 但是没有证明我就没法见到他。
• The bridge and the top of the bus was only ten clearances. 桥与公共汽车车顶之间的间隙只有十厘米。