MONITORING (SW) – The Doctors without Borders (MSF) has raised alarm over the measles outbreak in Afghanistan.
“Measles is particularly dangerous for young children, even more so for those that are malnourished, as they are more likely to become severely ill. The virus is highly contagious but vaccine preventable”, it said.
The MSF tweeted that the numbers of measles cases have increased rapidly in the last few months, in Herat and Helamand.
Last week, the WHO said measles is endemic in Afghanistan, with almost all provinces reporting suspected cases every year.
Following periods of lower transmission in 2019 and 2020, and amid the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, weekly notifications of suspected measles cases have been increasing in all provinces since the end of July 2021, with the highest weekly toll observed in the last four weeks in January 2022.
The most affected provinces, with the highest number of reported cases (confirmed and suspected) are Balkh, Ghazni, Helmand, Kandahar, Kabul, Paktika, and Paktya.
Measles is a very highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that is transmitted by air and through direct contact with infected cases. Unvaccinated young children are at the highest risk of measles and its complications (e.g. pneumonia and encephalitis), including death. Measles outbreaks can result in epidemics with a high case fatality rate, especially among young, malnourished children.
Afghanistan is considered a fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable setting. The country has faced years of compounded crises, under-investment, instability and drought, and has now the highest number of people in emergency food insecurity in the world.
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