[Contribution of the French Armed Forces Health Services to relief in Indonesia following the tsunami on December 26, 2004].

As of early January 2005, the French Armed Forces Health Services were on the ground in Indonesia to contribute to relief operations following the tsunami in Indonesia on December 26, 2004. Findings of preliminary investigation performed upon deployment of the first French elements demonstrated that a major priority was to speed up vaccination against measles in children between the ages of 6 months and 15 years. A vaccination campaign was planned in cooperation with Indonesian authorities and UNICEF. Implementation involved training of personnel and setting up vaccination clinics in refugee camps, schools, and neighborhoods in the city of Meulaboh. The vaccination campaign was hampered by a number of problems in particular involving logistics and required constant supervision. A survey to evaluate the results of the campaign in terms of vaccination coverage showed that the objective of vaccinating 70% of children in refugee camps was achieved. The survey provided other child health indicators that will be helpful to local authorities taking over after the departure of the French Armed Forces Health Services.