By Adedapo Adesanya
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that Africa is witnessing a surge in outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases over the past year.
This came as almost 17,500 cases of measles were recorded in the region between January and March 2022, marking a 400 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2021.
According to the world health authority, 20 African countries reported measles outbreaks in the first quarter of this year, eight more than that in the first three months of 2021.
It also warned that outbreaks from diseases that could have been prevented by vaccines have also become more common due to inequalities in accessing vaccines as well as COVID-19 has strained the health systems.
Twenty-four countries confirmed outbreaks of a variant of polio in 2021, which is four more than in 2020. In 2021, 13 countries reported new yellow fever outbreaks in the African region, compared to nine in 2020 and three in 2019.
Speaking on this, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa explained that even as the continent focused on fighting COVID-19, there needs to be special attention to other health challenges.
“The rise in outbreaks of other vaccine-preventable diseases is a warning sign. As Africa works hard to defeat COVID-19, we must not forget other health threats. Health systems could be severely strained not only by COVID-19 but by other diseases.
“Vaccines are at the heart of a successful public health response, and as countries restore services, routine immunization must be at the core of revived and resilient health systems.”
WHO expects countries to attain and maintain measles vaccination coverage of 95 per cent with two doses to reach measles elimination. In 2019, six countries in the African region attained 95 per cent coverage with first dose measles vaccination, while only three met this target in 2020, according to estimates.
On his part, Dr Benido Impouma, Director, Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases Cluster at WHO Regional Office for Africa said while mass vaccination campaigns are the quickest way to administer a large volume of vaccines, WHO is committed to supporting countries to strengthen essential, primary health care services to deliver COVID-19 vaccines. The longer-term solutions will likely see benefits to communities beyond COVID-19.
“Routine immunization, a long-established practice in many African countries, has been severely strained by the impact of COVID-19. In the wake of this pandemic, we are committed to support countries devise smart approaches to scale up both COVID-19 vaccination and restore and expand routine immunization services,” he said.
Aduragbemi Omiyale