The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it is kicking off a mass vaccination campaign to protect more than 4 million children against a measles outbreak in conflict-affected states in north-eastern Nigeria this week.
The two-week campaign, which starts on 13 January, will target all children aged from 6 months to 10 years in accessible areas in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States.
“This measles vaccination campaign is an emergency intervention to protect more than 4 million children against a highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease,” says Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu, WHO Representative in Nigeria.
From early September to 18 December 2016, WHO-established Early Warning, Alert and Response System (EWARS) reported more than 1500 suspected measles cases in Borno State alone. More than 77% of children aged less than 5 years in Borno State have never received the measles vaccine and this is the age group where most cases have occurred, the EWARS report stated.
“Massive disruption to health services in conflict-affected areas for many years has deprived these children of essential childhood vaccinations. In addition, many of them have severe malnutrition, making them extremely vulnerable to serious complications and death from measles,” the Nigerian WHO representative said.
WHO is supporting the 3 state Primary Healthcare Development Agencies (PHCDA) to prepare for the campaign; working with partners including UNICEF, the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other health nongovernmental organizations.
The Borno State Ministry of Health, with support from WHO and partners, has already vaccinated more than 83,000 children aged 6 months to 15 years living in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) where measles cases had been reported, with WHO saying these campaigns have started to show results, with a reduction of measles cases around the camps.
Measles is a highly contagious, serious disease that is one of the leading causes of death in young children. In 2015, there were more than 134,000 measles deaths globally; most of them were in children aged less than 5 years.
The humanitarian crisis caused by conflict in Borno State has resulted in more than 1.4 million IDPs living in more than 100 camps, amongst a host population of about 4.3 million people.
During 2000-2015, measles vaccination prevented an estimated 20.3 million deaths making measles vaccination one of the best buys in public health.