Madagascar: 1,200 deaths in the measles epidemic, reports said

A measles epidemic has reportedly killed more than 1,200 people in Madagascar with more than 115,000 cases.

According to the Associated Press, about 58% of people have been vaccinated, and the World Health Organization (WHO) said the epidemic had affected children under 15 years old.

The outbreak, which began in September, has been compounded by malnutrition, AP reported, adding that nearly 50% of Malagasy children did not have enough food for economic reasons. This is one of the main causes of the epidemic, the report noted.

"Unfortunately, the epidemic continues to grow, but at a slower pace than a month ago," said Dr. Dossou Vincent Sodjinou, an epidemiologist at WHO in Madagascar.

Health officials said many people did not have access to the vaccines, either because there were not enough, or because the families were too poor, Reuters reported last month.

But, "Malnutrition is the bed of measles," added Sodjinou in the AP report. Madagascar is among the poorest countries in the world.

"Vaccination is not the only response strategy to this epidemic. We still need resources for care, monitoring and social mobilization, "he added.

Parents speak

"I could not afford to take him to the hospital," a local resident told Reuters Dada about his son.

"It's my 6-year-old daughter who had measles first. She had a lot of fever, "added another woman. "I called the doctor but it was Friday. He had already been to town. I went to see another doctor who told me that my daughter was allergic. … This misdiagnosis was almost fatal.

Her child survived a little to the test after days of vomiting and diarrhea.

"I had five children. They all had measles. For the last, I did not go to see the doctor because I did not have money, "said Lalatiana Ravonjisoa, another woman. "I gave my baby the leftover medicine from his big brother to bring down the fever."

According to ReliefWeb, "measles is an acute and highly contagious viral disease that can potentially lead to major epidemics … Malnutrition is also a contributing factor as malnutrition increases the vulnerability of children to severe complications and death due to malnutrition. measles".

According to the website, the risk of outbreak is "very high" in this country of East Africa.

"Currently, several concurrent factors are likely to hinder or delay a public health response and could undermine the response: post-election conflict, geographic isolation and isolation, insecurity, hurricane season and multiple epidemics," ReliefWeb says.