More than 35,000 cases – including 90% of children under the age of 5 – have been identified for this month of January, with nearly 10% of laboratory-confirmed cases.
“More than 150 people, the vast majority of them children, have succumbed to the disease in January alone in Afghanistan,” said Christian Lindmeier, spokesman for theWHOadding that “the number of cases and deaths was likely to increase in the coming weeks”.
According to the UN’s world health agency, measles cases have increased in all provinces since the end of July 2021, with an increase of 18% in the week of January 24 and 40% in the last week of January. month of January.
Although the number of deaths is relatively low, the rapid increase in cases in January 2022 suggests that the number of measles deaths is likely to increase sharply in the coming weeks. “It is also important to note that measles-related deaths are not always reported or captured by surveillance systems,” Lindmeier added.
Vaccinate three million people in three months
Faced with this explosion of cases in Afghanistan, the WHO and its partners are mobilizing to immunize three million people in three months. “The campaign will start next May or earlier, if possible,” said the WHO spokesperson. In December, a vaccination campaign made it possible to inoculate the serum to 1.5 million children in the areas most affected by measles.
According to the WHO, the rise in measles cases is of particular concern because of the extremely high levels of malnutrition in Afghanistan. Malnutrition weakens immunity, making people more vulnerable to illness and death from diseases like measles, especially children.
In addition, measles infection can lead to immune system suppression and immunological amnesia. This increases susceptibility to all pathogens, including those against which the person was previously immune.
Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses in the world, but it is almost completely preventable through vaccination. Over the past 20 years, WHO estimates that measles vaccine has averted more than 30 million deaths worldwide.
Severe measles more likely in young malnourished children
Severe measles is more likely in malnourished young children, especially those who are vitamin A deficient, or whose immune systems have been weakened by other illnesses. The most serious complications are blindness, encephalitis (an infection that causes swelling of the brain), severe diarrhea and resulting dehydration, and serious respiratory infections such as pneumonia.
In addition to measles and Covid-19, Afghanistan is currently facing multiple outbreaks, including “acute watery diarrhea, dengue and malaria, which have increased the burden on an already fragile health system”. Kabul continues to face an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
According to the WHO, the major problem for the health system remains the suspension of funding for the delivery of health services. Currently, only health facilities with external support are functional, with unfunded health facilities not operational.