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Indonesia Begins Major Immunization Campaign for Earthquake Survivors


Health authorities in central Indonesia have launched a massive campaign to immunize more than 1.3 million earthquake survivors at risk for diseases.

Officials say they plan to immunize more than 130,000 children against measles, and give tetanus shots to women and men over the next several days.

So far, here have been no serious outbreaks of disease in hard-hit earthquake areas, but World Health Organization officials are concerned that poor sanitation will increase the threat of disease.

Many earthquake survivors are living in makeshift shelters, with no toilets or running water. Nearly 5,800 people died when the 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Java island on May 27.

Thirty-six thousand people were injured in the quake, which flattened buildings in and around the ancient city of Yogyakarta.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

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