The Ministry of Public Health says that the number of children infected with measles has increased significantly this year compared to previous years.
According to the ministry officials, more than 40,000 children have been infected with measles this year.
“By the end of the month of May, we will have about ten million doses of vaccine, and after May we will launch a vaccine campaign across Afghanistan to respond,” said Javid Hajir, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health.
Hajir considers the lack of a measles vaccination campaign to be one of the main reasons for the increase in the disease in the country and said that to combat the illness the ministry is launching a new measles vaccination campaign.
Based on the statistics of the Ministry of Health, the statistics of measles cases and deaths from 2018 to 2022 are as follows:
In 2018, 29,872 patients have been infected, 215 deaths
In 2019, 4,187 patients have been infected, 10 deaths
In 2020, 5,234 patients have been infected, 18 deaths
In 2021, 30,333 patients have been infected, 108 deaths
And in 2022, 44,200 patients have been infected, and 288 deaths.
Palwasha and Sheida are mothers whose children have been hospitalized due to measles.
“We do not have good food. I wish we had access to good food. My husband got disabled at a young age,” said Palwasha, the mother of the sick child.
“Three days ago he had a fever. Later I noticed that red spots appeared on him. I thought that it might have been because of an allergy … I saw in the morning that he had a high fever and his condition had worsened,” said Sheida, the mother of the sick child.
Some doctors believe that the reason for the increase in this disease is the poor quality of vaccines.
“Even though people are vaccinated, they are still contracting it. The quality of vaccines should be considered in terms of how the vaccine is stored, whether it is professional or not,” said Mohammad Iqbal Sadegh, chief physician of Andragandi Children’s Health Hospital.
However, the Ministry of Public Health said that the World Bank has for the first time approved $150 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, part of which, according to a ministry spokesman, will be allocated to fight measles.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in their latest report said that Afghanistan is the third highest country in measles cases, after Somalia and Yemen.
“To prevent outbreaks of this disease there should be immunization campaigns every three years, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic these nationwide campaigns were interrupted and we have seen an increasing number of unimmunized vulnerable children and therefore a surge recently in measles cases. There is an urgent need for a nationwide measles campaign,” said Sam Mort, chief of communication for UNICEF Afghanistan.
The WHO and UNICEF in it is report said that worldwide measles cases increased by 79 percent in the first two months of 2022, compared to the same period in 2021.
Based on the WHO and UNICEF reports, an increase in measles cases in January and February 2022 is a sign of heightened risk for the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases and could trigger larger outbreaks, particularly of measles affecting millions of children in 2022, warn the WHO and UNICEF.
“Pandemic-related disruptions, increasing inequalities in access to vaccines, and the diversion of resources from routine immunization are leaving too many children without protection against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases,” the report reads.
According to the report, the risk for large outbreaks has increased as communities relax social distancing practices and other preventive measures for COVID-19 implemented during the height of the pandemic. In addition, with millions of people being displaced due to conflicts and crises including in Ukraine, Ethiopia, Somalia and Afghanistan, disruptions in routine immunization and COVID-19 vaccination services, lack of clean water and sanitation, and overcrowding increase the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.
“Almost 17,338 measles cases were reported worldwide in January and February 2022, compared to 9,665 during the first two months of 2021. As measles is very contagious, cases tend to show up quickly when vaccination levels decline. The agencies are concerned that outbreaks of measles could also forewarn outbreaks of other diseases that do not spread as rapidly,” the report reads.
Meanwhile, officials at the Ministry of Public Health are concerned about the increase in the number of children with measles, stating that in the last four months, 36,613 cases of measles have been registered in the country, from which 247 children have died.
“From January to April, the graph of measles was increasing day by day and monthly, so that in January we had about 5,446 cases, but in February we had 7,891 cases and in March 11,808,” said Javid Hajir, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health.
Doctors at the Indira Gandhi Children Hospital say that in April alone, 600 measles cases have been registered at the hospital.
“Our concern is that people should get their vaccines and stay away from places that cause illness,” said Mohibullah, a doctor at the Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital.
TOLOnews spoke to families of patients who have come to the hospital.
“We stayed at home for a week, then his condition worsened, so again we came here. It’s been about 45 days now. The doctors said that he would be treated,” said Khair Mohammad, a resident of Kabul.
The Ministry of Public Health said that in the first two months of 2022, one million two million children in 49 districts in 24 provinces received measles vaccine and another three million children will be vaccinated as soon as possible.
