According to Zimbabwe state media, there have been 22-deaths, mainly of children under five, due to a measles outbreak, which two weeks ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) had called deeply frustrating, coming right after the sponsoring of a vaccination programme in the African country.

Talking to journalists, Dr. Custodia Mandlhate, Zimbabwe’s head of WHO, said the the total of 340-suspected cases this year was unacceptable, with the outbreak mainly due to those people who had not permitted their children to be vaccinated against the childhood disease.

Measles, which mainly affects young children is characterised by a high fever and skin rash, and most children in developed countries are immunised against the disease by the age of 18- months.

Zimbabwean health officials say the 22-victims of the disease had not been vaccinated against it, confirming 90-cased nationwide, with five districts hit by the outbreak.

Henry Madzorera, Health and Child Welfare Minister called the deaths ‘an unwarranted loss of lives’ since measles is a preventable disease. Sustained high vaccination coverage among children had made measles outbreaks in Zimbabwe rare, which is why parents should be made to realize the importance of vaccinating their children for protecting them against the disease and its complications.

The measles outbreak will only put additional strain on the country’s health system, hit with 5,000-deaths due to the cholera epidemic last year, with five people dying from cholera in the past three months.

By Staff Reporter