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Chapter 13 - Measles

from Section 2 - Mother and Child Health

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2025

By
Oghenebrume Wariri ,
Lien Anh Ha Do ,
Assan Jaye ,
Hilton C. Whittle  and
E. Kim Mulholland
Edited by
David Mabey ,
Martin W. Weber ,
Moffat Nyirenda ,
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu ,
Jackson Orem ,
Laura Benjamin ,
Michael Marks  and
Nicholas A. Feasey
David Mabey
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Martin W. Weber
Affiliation:
World Health Organization
Moffat Nyirenda
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu
Affiliation:
Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana
Jackson Orem
Affiliation:
Uganda Cancer Institute, Kampala
Laura Benjamin
Affiliation:
University College London
Michael Marks
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Nicholas A. Feasey
Affiliation:
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
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Summary

The global measles problem is worst in sub-Saharan Africa where the incidence and mortality are highest, and vaccine coverage is lowest. Reported measles cases fell from 520,102 in 2000 to 36,269 in 2016, but there was a steep increase in cases to 618,595 in 2019 (Patel et al. 2020). In 2019–2020, the world’s largest single-nation measles outbreak occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with more than 6,000 deaths and 310,000 suspected cases. The recent increase in the incidence of and mortality from measles in Africa is connected to concurrent disease outbreaks and recurrent conflicts that have disrupted many vaccination programmes.

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Chapter
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Principles of Medicine in Africa , pp. 162 - 171
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

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