Nigeria records 42 measles deaths in over a week

Measles can be prevented with two doses of vaccine.

Adamawa state health official Felix Tangwami said that in just over a week, Adamawa state has recorded 42 deaths due to measles. The outbreak has affected two areas of the locality with nearly 200 suspected cases.

According to Mr. Felix Tangwami, measles vaccines have been distributed to these areas and currently field response teams are controlling the situation.

The measles outbreak comes amid widespread unrest in several states in northern Nigeria and is often blamed on disruptions to vaccination campaigns, leaving children particularly vulnerable.

Since the militant group Boko Haram began launching attacks in Nigeria in 2009, more than 2 million people have been displaced, creating one of the world's worst ongoing humanitarian crises. Criminal gangs have deepened the security situation in northwestern Nigeria.

Measles is a highly contagious airborne virus that mainly affects children under 5 years of age. It is preventable with two doses of vaccine. More than 50 million deaths from the disease have been prevented since 2000, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

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