Madagascar: More Than 900 Dead in Measles Outbreak

More than 900 people in Madagascar have died in the space of six months due to an outbreak of measles.

A highly contagious viral disease, measles can cause complications including blindness, brain-swelling and increased susceptibility to other diseases. In 2017, only 58% of the the country’s population had been vaccinated against the disease.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 68 000 cases of measles have been reported since the outbreak began in September last year. Of this figure, 922 children and young adults have died.

Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesperson for WHO, said that the epidemic has been blamed on a low immunisation rate for measles across Madagascar over a period of many years.

Another factor is that many people have had no chance to develop immunity to the disease as there has not been an outbreak since 2003.

The WHO, along with Unicef and the Malagasy authorities, have launched four vaccination drives nationwide in a bid to quell the epidemic.