Official Says Measles Killed 166 Malawians in Six Months

A senior health official told AFP that an outbreak of measles has killed 166 people in Malawi since January.

A senior health official told AFP that an outbreak of measles has killed 166 people in Malawi since January. He also termed it the worst outbreak in a decade.

"Our records show this is the highest number of people to have died from the disease in the past 10 years," said Storn Kabuluzi, the government's director of preventive health.

Measles | Rubeola - Causes, Symptoms, Complications, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention
Measles is a viral infection with symptoms of fever,and rashes. Measles is prevented by vaccination and staying away from the infected individuals.

He said 52,000 people had caught measles over the past six months in the nation of 13 million.

Kabuluzi said a new consignment of measles vaccines had been received and the government would launch a 4.2-million-dollar nationwide immunisation campaign soon.

"We are targeting six million children aged six months to 15 years for the mass immunisation," he said.

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Mumps is a contagious viral infection that typically causes a painful swelling of one or more of the salivary gland. Mumps most commonly occurs in children aged 2-12 years who have not been vaccinated against the disease. However, it can occur at any age. It was a common childhood disease before the development of the mumps vaccine (MMR vaccine).

Neighbouring Zambia is also experiencing its worst measles outbreak in years, with 88 killed over two months, mainly around the capital Lusaka.

Source-AFP

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