Many residents are believed to be suffering and dying from measles in small villages in the Damboa Local Government Area – but they cannot be reached by health workers because there is a good chance they will be attacked and killed by insurgents on the way to these inaccessible areas.
Alhaji Kolo Mbalala, a doctor from Damboa, told RNI that there was a measles outbreak in the area and that, in the past few months, the medical staff had recorded 618 cases of measles based on records kept in all 13 hospitals and clinics within the area.
“Apart from the 618 cases that are officially recorded, it is believed that there are many more cases in areas inaccessible to health workers. Even some residents in the town have not come to the hospital and are relying solely on traditional medicine or herbs.
“In the past, measles outbreaks were more prevalent during the hot season but now there are measles outbreaks even in the rainy season. One of the reasons is that some areas and villages remain inaccessible because of insurgent attacks. They are completely cut off from accessing healthcare services. As a result, their children remain unvaccinated against any disease. So, once there is an outbreak of any disease in these inaccessible areas, it cannot be controlled because we are unable to reach the villages for fear of being killed by insurgents.
“That is why this measles outbreak is so widespread. For example, a few days ago there were a whole lot of new arrivals in Damboa town and we found out that about 30 children were suffering from a variety of diseases, including measles.
“Measles is a very dangerous disease. It is highly contagious and is caused by a virus, which is transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets. It is an airborne disease that can be spread when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. The measles virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. Symptoms develop about eight to 12 days after a person is exposed to the disease. The measles rash appears three to five days after the first symptoms, which can last 10 to 14 days.”
Mbalala advised parents to hurry their children to hospital as soon as they became aware of the symptoms.
“If they do not do this and do not get proper treatment they could lose their children. Those who decide to keep their children at home and rely on herbal or traditional medicine are in danger of losing their children too. They must get to hospital in time for proper treatment.”
He advised parents to take their babies for a rotavirus vaccine, saying it was harmless and served as a protection against diseases.
Ya Madam, a nursing mother, told RNI that her children had suffered from measles. “Right now, one of my children is seriously sick. He has a runny nose, watery eyes and an extremely high fever. However, I took him to the hospital and he has had medicine, including injections and a vaccination. We are lucky he is responding to treatment. I want all my children to be vaccinated so that we can avoid going through all this suffering and struggling.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said measles was caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family and it was normally passed through direct contact and through the air. The virus infected the respiratory tract and then spread throughout the body.
Unvaccinated young children were the highest at risk of getting measles and its complications, including death. Unvaccinated pregnant women were also at risk. Any non-immune person – someone who had not been vaccinated or was vaccinated but had not developed immunity – could become infected.
Measles outbreaks were particularly deadly in countries experiencing or recovering from a natural disaster or conflict. Damage to health infrastructure and health services interrupted routine immunisation and overcrowded residential camps, such as internally displaced persons’ camps, greatly increased the risk of infection.
Routine measles vaccinations for children, combined with mass immunisation campaigns in countries with high cases and death rates, were key public health strategies to reduce global measles deaths, the WHO said.
SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO
