Vaccination campaign against measles, rubella

The Ministry of Health (MOH) organized a vaccination campaign against measles and rubella, throughout the country from November 20-29.

The campaign is with the aim of reducing morbidity and mortality from these diseases with measles and rubella combined vaccine (RR), Cameroon Tribune reported yesterday.

According to the MOH, in some health districts where the situation is serious, there has been an increase with 49 deaths caused by these diseases in 2014 to 74 deaths in 2015.

This figure shows a steady increase with a total of 659 cases reported between 2008 and 2014.

Children aged 9 months to 14 years are involved in this campaign. The goal, according to the MOH, is to get 834,271 children vaccinated. Issa Tchiroma Bakary Minister of Communication, Marie Thérèse Abena Ondoa Minister of Women's Empowerment and the Family, and Dr. Jean Baptist Roungou representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF, were present at the symposium.

According to Dr. Marie Kobela, Permanent Secretary of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), cases of rubella are often confused with measles and "the increase of these diseases has been diagnosed recently and the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends administering combination vaccines against both diseases," she explained.

Some measles sufferers can develop pulmonary or neurological complications. The risks associated with rubella is virtually nil except for pregnant women.

About 20 to 25% of babies suffer defect if the disease was contracted during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Measles and mumps rubella are rampant worldwide and the diseases are caused by viruses. Measles, which is common, is manifested through a high temperature, a runny nose, cough, and conjunctivitis. After then the rash appears. For rubella, some people even have the disease without knowing it. But these two diseases can have dramatic consequences in children and in pregnant women who receive no vaccine.

The best solution is to get vaccinated especially since the vaccine available today protects them from these diseases.