Nigerian health officials on Wednesday said an outbreak of measles in a village in the northern state of Borno had killed 20 children and caused a further 100 children to be hospitalised.
"The epidemic has killed 20 children and over 100 children are in two hospitals at Maiduguri, the state capital, for treatment," Abdulrahman Usman, director of infectious diseases at the Borno state health ministry told AFP.He said Jimkilo village, where the outbreak happened, had been quarantined to stem the spread of the disease "because people were fleeing the village with their children out of fear."
According to Usman, those worst hit by the epidemic are infants aged six to 12 months. Measles is often fatal in children in developing countries.
Source-AFP
LIN/M
