Katsina, Borno and Yobe states
have taken the lead in Nigeria as cases of measles surge by 700 percent in
Africa for the first three months of 2019 compared to 2018.
Every state in Nigeria has
recorded a case of measles in 2019, with a total of 2,113 suspected cases
reported from 34 states in a single week — the last week of March.
According to WHO, countries in
Africa have experienced a resurgence of measles, including outbreaks reported
in at least 9 countries (Chad, Cameroon, DR Congo, Liberia, Guinea, Madagascar,
Mali, Nigeria and Uganda) in the last 12 months.
Madagascar, in particular, has
had a large measles outbreak affecting more than 122,000 cases in the months
between October 2018 and April 2019.
A highly contagious disease that
accounts for 13 percent of all vaccine-preventable deaths in children younger
than five years in Africa, measles infects nine in ten people who are not
vaccinated.
As of 2017, only 16 countries in
the African Region had achieved 90% or more immunization coverage of the first
dose of measles vaccine (MCV1), according to the WHO UNICEF coverage estimates.
Across the region, MCV1 coverage has stagnated, at 70 – 73% since 2009.
At the launch of the ninth
African Vaccination Week on Wednesday in São Tomé and PrÃncipe, immunization
partners stressed the importance of countries remaining vigilant in the fight
against vaccine-preventable diseases.
The theme for this year’s African
Vaccination Week is “Protected Together: Vaccines Work!”, emphasizing the power
of vaccines in saving lives and keeping everyone healthy, from infants to
elders.
African Vaccination Week, from 22
to 28 April, also celebrates the vaccination heroes who help expand the
coverage of immunization services across the African region – from parents and
community leaders to health workers and innovators.
“We need to work together to
improve immunization delivery so that all children are protected from
preventable diseases. Recent disease outbreaks on the continent remind us of
the urgency of this goal,” Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization regional
director for Africa, said.
“Outbreaks of measles in
Madagascar and Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo underscore the
need for increased investments in immunization as a fundamental part of
strengthening primary health care systems,” she also stressed.
Vaccines are one of the most
effective and cost-effective public health interventions available. Yet, one in
five children in Africa still does not have access to all the necessary and
basic vaccines a child should receive.
Every year, more than 30 million
children younger than 5 years in Africa fall sick due to vaccine-preventable
diseases. Of them, more than half a million die – representing 56% of the
global deaths related to vaccine-preventable diseases.
In Africa, vaccine-preventable
diseases also impose an economic burden of US$ 13 billion every year – funding
that could be used to fuel economies and drive development.
In 2017, African Heads of State
endorsed the Addis Declaration on Immunization at the African Union Summit,
committing to reach all children with life-saving vaccines.
While political will for
immunization across the region is high, African Vaccination Week 2019 is a
reminder for countries to renew their commitments and redouble efforts to
achieve universal access to vaccines.
Partners at the African
Vaccination Week launch emphasized the need to move from commitment to action
by increasing domestic investments in immunization and strengthening access to
vaccines in hard-to-reach areas.
African Vaccination Week is a
galvanizing period for the region, in which millions of people receive critical
vaccines and screenings. It is also a rallying moment for immunization
advocates to encourage governments to keep immunization high on their national
and regional agendas.
“Everyone has a role to play in
ensuring that children and communities get the immunization services they need
– from politicians and community advocates to health practitioners and parents
themselves. I hope African Vaccination Week will encourage each of us to do our
part and that these collective efforts will drive progress across the region,”
said Evaristo do Espirito Santo Carvalho, president of São Tomé and PrÃncipe.
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