The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared measles an “imminent global threat” amid an increase in outbreaks.
This means that, if countries do not move with speed to contain the outbreak, it could result in death or serious bodily harm, with WHO reporting that close to 40 million children had missed at least one dose of the measles vaccine in 2021.
Seven counties have recorded an outbreak in Kenya and this has prompted an urgent vaccination drive by the Ministry of Health to contain the spread of the contagious airborne disease. The 10-day inoculation drive in Marsabit, Wajir, Garissa, Nairobi, Turkana, Mandera and West Pokot targets 1.2 million children aged between nine and 59 months.
While urging Kenyans to present their children for immunization, Mr Peter Tum, the principal secretary at the State Department for Medical Services, said measles anywhere is a threat everywhere, because the virus can quickly spread throughout communities and across borders.
Measles-rubella vaccine
He urged parents to ensure their children receive an additional dose of the measles-rubella vaccine to protect them against the disease. Low uptake of immunisations has been blamed on the Covid-19 pandemic whose disruption saw 25 million children miss their first dose of the measles vaccine last year, while another 14.7 million did not get the second dose.
“While vaccines against Covid-19 were being developed in record time and deployed in the largest vaccination campaign in history, routine immunisation programmes were badly disrupted and millions of [children] missed out on life-saving vaccinations against deadly diseases like measles,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He said getting immunisation programmes back on track is “absolutely critical”.
Globally, there were an estimated nine million cases of measles in 2021 and 128,000 deaths, with 22 countries experiencing large and disruptive outbreaks, some of which have continued into this year. Mr Tum said that, with the availability of the vaccine, parents should take advantage and ensure every child who missed a dose is vaccinated.
Measles outbreak
In the event of a measles outbreak in the country, children are vaccinated at six months. However, without an outbreak, they get their first dose at nine months and the second at 18 months.
Measles is an acute viral respiratory illness characterised by extremely high fever, coughing, conjunctivitis (pink eye), general feeling of infection, and coryza (inflammation of the mucous membrane in the nose).
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It is airborne and can be contracted through coughing or sneezing. In most cases, symptoms begin to show from the 10th to the 14th day after exposure.
A red, flat rash, which usually breaks out on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body, may emerge three to five days after the onset of the symptoms.
Severe cases include encephalitis (brain swelling), blindness and pneumonia. There are about nine million cases a year and 128,000 deaths. Deaths are overwhelmingly in unvaccinated people. If a child survives measles, there is a possibility of long-term damage to their immune system, described as a “form of immune amnesia” BY DAILY NATION