At least ten children have tragically lost their lives in Damangaza community, Lokogoma District, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, Nigeria, due to a suspected measles outbreak.
Mr. James Budebo, Head of the Damangaza community, revealed this during a one-day outreach program held in Abuja on Friday.
The outreach, organised by Primary Health Care, Damangaza, in collaboration with the Vaccine Network for Disease Control (VNDC), aimed to address the pressing health crisis in the community.
Measles, a highly contagious viral infection characterised by symptoms like fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a distinctive rash, poses serious risks, particularly to young children and those with compromised immune systems.
Budebo emphasised the critical importance of vaccination in preventing measles and its potentially severe complications. He highlighted challenges in vaccine acceptance within the community, attributing recent deaths to the suspected measles outbreak.
Chika Offor, CEO of VNDC, underscored the urgency of the outreach program in providing immediate assistance and laying the groundwork for long-term community resilience. Efforts are focused on enhancing vaccine accessibility and disseminating accurate information to address community concerns and misconceptions about vaccination and public health measures.
Ms. Longtang Shawen, a Health Worker at PHC, Damangaza, noted that the outbreak has exacerbated existing healthcare access challenges in the community.
She stressed the role of education in empowering the community about vaccine-preventable diseases, sanitation, and hygiene practices. Shawen emphasized the critical role of vaccination in preventing measles outbreaks, safeguarding individuals, and promoting community-wide immunity.
Chief Bello Musa, Head of Damangaza Hausawa, confirmed that the Public Health Department of the FCT has been informed about the situation, with previous visits conducted two weeks ago.
In response, Dr. Teresa Nwachukwu, FCT Epidemiologist, pledged to investigate the current situation.
Recent data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) highlighted significant measles outbreaks in various states by December 2023, underscoring the need for robust vaccination campaigns and public health interventions nationwide.
As of December 2023, specific states including Abia (46), Anambra (23), Jigawa (21), Edo (18), Lagos (17), and Bauchi (14) collectively represented 64.6% of the 215 suspected measles cases reported.
Among these cases, 33 (15.4%) were confirmed, with no clinically compatible cases identified, while 43 (20%) were discarded, and 139 (64.6%) remained pending classification.
Throughout the period from January to December 2023, the states with the highest numbers of suspected measles cases were Borno (7,635), Yobe (1,325), Ogun (611), and Zamfara (601), with Lagos also notable at 563 cases, constituting 52.2% of the total reported cases.
Out of these suspected cases, 11,433 (58.72%) were confirmed, comprising 1,861 lab-confirmed cases, 3,120 epi-linked cases, and 6,452 clinically compatible cases.
The age group 9 to 59 months accounted for 7,317 (64%) of all confirmed cases.
Among the confirmed cases, there were 89 reported deaths, resulting in a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 1.1%. A significant majority of these deaths, 8,380 cases (73%), occurred in individuals who had not received any measles vaccine (“zero dose”).
By December 31, 2023, measles outbreaks had been reported in 8 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across 7 states, bringing the total number of affected LGAs for the year to 184 across 35 states. Notably, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Osun State were the only areas that did not report any confirmed measles outbreaks during this period.
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