Measles kills 32 people from the beginning of 2015

Some districts in Cameroon have recorded 32 deaths due to one of the six killer disease among children, Measles.

A free vaccination campaign against measles started from August 25 to 30, 2015 in seven regions of Cameroon.

It targets 1.5 million children aged between 9 months and 10 years, according to officials at the Ministry of public health

The permanent Secretary of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), Dr. Marie Kobela, said this resurgence of measles is due to the fact that parents do not meet the immunization calendar of their children.

"We noticed that among the confirmed cases in the laboratory, the proportion of children over 5 years is higher. Which takes us to the conclusion that the vaccination calendar was not been respected", she said on national radio, CRTV.

Vaccination against measles is among the 11 vaccines administered free of charge to children from zero to 11 months by the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). It is given to an infant from the 9th month. But the follow up on vaccines is often not respected by parents.

Deputy permanent Secretary of EPI, Dr Joseph Désiré Nolna, told the Mutations newspaper on Wednesday 26 August 2015 that, “74 health districts are in epidemic situation, with 1400 cases and 32 registered deaths in 2015. A focus will be on children from 9 to 11 months covered by the expanded Programme on immunization.”

Measles is the most contagious and infectious diseases. A contagious person can contaminate 15 to 20 people who have never had measles or are not vaccinated. The only effective prevention against this viral infection is vaccination.

The measles virus is spread very easily from one person to another by: coughing, sneezing; hands or objects contaminated with secretions from the nose or throat (toys, handkerchiefs, etc.). An infected person is contagious without knowing it, before feeling sick.