GENEVA, April 20 (Reuters) - Sixteen million children and adults in North Korea have been vaccinated against measles following a major outbreak of the highly contagious disease which can kill, international aid agencies said on Friday. The massive nationwide immunisation campaign was carried out by the health ministry and aid agencies after 3,600 people were infected between last November and February, they said. Four people, including two infants, died. It was the first measles outbreak in 15 years in the reclusive country, and initially doctors mistook it for rubella, according to the joint statement by the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In addition to the measles vaccine, those reached were also given a dose of Vitamin A, which is essential for immune system function and the growth and development of children. The North Korean Red Cross mobilised more than 15,000 volunteers to visit families and explain the benefits of the campaign, the statement said.
