The Prime Minister of the Syrian Interim Government, Ahmad Toumeh, revealed on Wednesday that the Interim Government has ordered the suspension of the entire governmental team working on a vaccine program, including the director of Health in the Idleb Directorate, until the end of the investigations into a measles vaccine that killed five children.
An independent investigation committee, consisting of three members and headed by the judge Khalid al-Hilo was formed, and the committee is expected to provide its report as soon as possible.
Toumeh said in a joint press conference with the Minister of Health, Adnan Hazouri, held in the seat of the Interim Government, that the team to fight measles – which was formed by the Coordination Assistance Unit and the National Commission of Vaccination – got the vaccines from the International Health Organization and all the work was under the supervision of the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
"We want to assure our people in Syria that the campaign will be reactivated again soon. The previous vaccination campaigns were very successful, though the campaign included 1,400,000 children all around the liberated regions inside Syria," Toumeh said.
In response to a question about the age of volunteers participated in the campaign, Toumeh said that none of the volunteers were less than 18 years old.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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