Articles
One-time TV doctor takes part in a campaign to eliminate measles in Kenya
Tue Jun 18,11:51 AM ET
By MATTHEW J. ROSENBERG, Associated Press Writer
MACHAKOS, Kenya - She couldn't actually administer the vaccinations, but Jane Seymour, the actress who played TV's "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," lent her celebrity on Tuesday to help promote a campaign to eliminate measles in Africa.
Seymour, with eight Los Angeles school children and a documentary film crew in tow, toured vaccination centers set up as part of the Measles Initiative — a five-year, continentwide campaign led by the American Red Cross ( news - web sites).
"This is an initiative that can actually be accomplished," said Seymour, who has been working with the American Red Cross since February. "In a world where nothing seems to ever be accomplished, this is gratifying."
Measles, a highly contagious disease that can be fatal, was once common in North America and Europe and still kills more than 450,000 children a year in Africa.
A weeklong drive to vaccinate 14 million children in Kenya began Monday. The Kenya Red Cross and the Kenyan government are working with the American Red Cross on the Kenya campaign.
To reach that many children in such a short period of time, the Red Cross and its partners, including the United Nations ( news - web sites) and the U.S. government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( news - web sites), are using 7,000 volunteers to staff thousands of vaccination centers in Kenya.
The process is done with factory-like efficiency — at the vaccination centers, children line up under the watchful eyes of parents and teachers. They patiently await their shots.
Of course, trot out a television star, some American school kids and a documentary crew, and a day at the vaccination center quickly takes on a stage-managed feel — an off-key marching band leading a parade through town in the morning, welcoming songs sung by uniformed school children and directions from the film crew about when and where cars should pull up and how the passengers should get out.
The Kenyan school children seemed to take it in stride.
The documentary is being produced by Seymour's husband, James Keach. Red Cross officials said there were no definite plans on how the documentary would be used or where it might be aired.
Regardless, Seymour was upbeat about the trip to Africa.
"Hopefully, we'll encourage people and raise awareness about the conditions in other parts of the world," the 51-year-old actress said. "We can actually do something to make people in the Third World believe that we actually care."
On the Net:
The Measles Initiative
