Armenpress

VIVACELL MAKES GENEROUS DONATION TO SUPPORT NATIONAL
IMMUNIZATION CAMPAIGN

YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s second
mobile phone operator-VivaCell-has pledged today a
generous donation of 40 million Drams (approximately
$111,000) to the Millennium Armenian Children’s
Vaccine Fund (MACVF), saying also it will team up with
it in the struggle against measles and rubella – the
eighth leading cause of death among people of all ages
worldwide.
The $111,000 donation will support the National
Supplementary Immunization Campaign against measles
and rubella. Gayane Sahakian, coordinator for the
National Supplementary Immunization Campaign against
measles and rubella, said the government for its part
has released 72 million Drams this year for mandatory
immunization of children between 12 months and 6
years.
"The greatness of a company should be measured not
by its size or revenues, but its long-term positive
impact on the life of the public it serves. Our
operations are based on this very principle", said
Ralph Yirikian, General Manager of VivaCell at a
special ceremony today. He urged other Armenian
businessmen to follow this example.
National Supplementary Immunization Campaign
against measles and rubella is expected to be launched
in spring of 2007. It is part of the Measles
Elimination Strategy, and will be submitted to the
Armenian government, which will act in response to the
WHO strategy for Eliminating Measles and Rubella from
the European Region.
Despite measles-immunization efforts in recent
decades, Armenia still remains on the list of
countries susceptible to this disease outbreaks, which
strike between 30 and 40 million children every year
and result in some 9 million deaths internationally.
The latest measles outbreak in Armenia was reported
in 2004-05, but it did not cause any death. Gayane
Sahakian said this year the number of reported cases
was down 18 times from a year ago.