Recent reports from Afghanistan have highlighted a significant measles outbreak, with over 7,000 suspected cases and 29 deaths in the first two months of 2024 alone. This health crisis, largely affecting children under five, has raised concerns over the country's public health challenges amid severe winter conditions and limited access to vaccination programs.
In response to the alarming rise in measles cases, the World Health Organization and Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health have been at the forefront, identifying children under five as constituting 80% of these suspected cases. The situation is exacerbated by the harsh winter and the struggle to implement widespread immunization. Despite these challenges, there has been a concerted effort to combat the outbreak, evidenced by a recent measles vaccination campaign that saw over 5.6 million children between nine months and five years of age vaccinated across the nation.
