A measles epidemic affecting thousands of Zambian children has prompted Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in collaboration with Zambian health authorities, to embark in a massive vaccination campaign aiming to reach 600,000 children between the ages of 6 months to 15 years.
Teams began work early in May in two provinces that have suffered the most cases, 3,043 and 4,670 respectively. During the first two weeks of the campaign, nearly 270,000 were vaccinated. The campaign which was supposed to take about 3 weeks should have concluded, or be in its winding stages, as you read this.
Measles has been making a comeback in Zambia. In 2010 it saw over 15,000 cases and so far this year, about 10,000 in just the regions Doctors Without Borders is working in (including the 2 mentioned above). At least 110 people have been reported dead from the 2010 outbreak, although the total for the year is likely higher since that number was reported halfway through the year. Current year data is still blurry, but at least 21 people are being reported dead in one province alone, although it is not clear if all fatalities occurred in 2011.
According to the WHO: “there is no specific treatment for measles and most people recover within 2–3 weeks. However, particularly in malnourished children and people with reduced immunity, measles can cause serious complications, including blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea, ear infection and pneumonia. Measles can be prevented by immunization.”
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