The frightening surge in measles cases across the country is worrisome. Between January and March this year, Nigeria has witnessed a 700 per cent rise in measles cases compared to what obtained in the same period in 2018.

Although the prevalence of the disease is more in Katsina, Borno and Yobe states, measles is on the rampage in virtually every state. Each state has recorded, at least, one case this year. In March, not less than 2,113 cases were recorded in 34 states.

Apart from Nigeria, other African countries currently being buffeted by measles, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), are Chad, Cameroon, DR Congo, Liberia, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali and Uganda.

Measles, a highly contagious viral disease, is a major cause of death among young children globally. It accounts for 13 per cent of all vaccine-preventable deaths in children younger than five years in Africa, and it infects nine in ten persons that are not vaccinated.

Measles is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons. Medical experts say that initial symptoms of the disease, which usually appear between 10 and 12 days after infection, might include high fever, a runny nose, bloodshot eyes, and tiny white spots on the inside of the mouth. Rashes would later develop on the face and the upper neck region before gradually spreading downwards. Measles can lead to blindness, encephalitis (an infection that causes brain swelling), severe diarrhoea and related dehydration, and severe respiratory infections, including pneumonia.

According to WHO, severe measles is more likely among poorly nourished young children, especially those with insufficient vitamin A or those with immune systems already weakened by HIV/AIDS or other diseases.

Ignorance is a major contributor to the seemingly intractable measles crisis in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, as the disease can easily be prevented by the administration of the appropriate measles vaccine.

WHO Coordinator in Borno State, Dr. Audu Idowu, has revealed that in spite of the availability of safe and effective vaccines in the country, Nigeria accounts for the highest burden of measles globally, with 3.3 million unimmunised children.

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The WHO chief stated that Nigeria’s 2017 Demographic Health Survey revealed that only 65 per cent of eligible Nigerian children receive their first dose of measles vaccine every year.

Nearly 6,000 cases of measles have been reported in the country since the beginning of the year. Borno State is the hardest hit, with 3,600 cases, primarily in children under five years.

Even though the measles vaccine is available, effective and affordable, millions of households across Africa still avoid immunisation. One in five children on the continent does not have access to all the basic vaccines that a child should receive.

Over 30 million children under five years in Africa fall sick due to vaccine-preventable diseases. Of them, more than half a million die, representing 56 per cent of the global deaths related to vaccine-preventable diseases.

So far, only 16 countries in the World Health Organisation’s African Region had achieved 90 per cent or more immunisation coverage of the first dose of measles vaccine (MCV1).

Globally, deaths from measles have decreased by 84 per cent in recent years – from 550,100 deaths in 2000 to 89,780 in 2016. However, measles remains a common crisis in many developing countries, particularly in parts of Africa and Asia, including Nigeria. More than 95 per cent of measles deaths occur in countries with low per capita income and a weak health system.

The increasing spread of measles in some Northern states has been attributed to the massive displacement arising from the security situation in the region. For instance, more than 700,000 people currently live in congested camps in Borno State, a situation that significantly increases the risk of measles and other infectious diseases.

We call on the government to step up efforts to curtail the spread of the disease across the country. Let the health officials in those states do everything possible to curb its further spread.  The federal, state and local governments must educate the public on the prevention and treatment of measles. Health officials must embark on general vaccination of children in remote areas. Everything must be done by the government to prevent a measles plague in the country.