Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi announced the reinforcement of surveillance measures and encouraged vaccination as the country responds to a measles outbreak, according to media reports.
The outbreak, which began on 9 July, has primarily impacted the northern province of Cabo Delgado where 170 cases have been reported, compared to just eight reported cases in neighbouring Niassa Province. Niassa has seen one death so far, while 17 have been recorded in Cabo Delgado. Nyusi noted during a speech that all deaths “were recorded outside health units, which highlights the need to reinforce awareness about the importance of vaccination and early care.”
To that end, the Ministry of Health is implementing several measures including training technical staff in case management and reinforcing routine vaccinations. Mozambique first began vaccinating against measles in 1979, gradually expanding the vaccination schedule in the decades since.
[See more: Mozambique just started immunising babies against malaria]
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory infection that affects some 20 million people each year. Vaccination can prevent the potentially deadly disease, which has no specific treatment, limiting healthcare workers to offering supportive care to ease symptoms.
“If you want to help our children”, Nyusi said in televised remarks, “vaccinate them.” The president explained that a blocking vaccination has already been carried out in the Cabo Delgado district of Chiure and a vaccination campaign for children under 15 years old is planned for next month. He also acknowledged the threat of mpox, currently reported in neighbouring South Africa and considered a public health emergency by the WHO and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Ministry of Health is responding to this threat by updating its readiness and response plan, strengthening laboratory testing capacity and revising therapeutic protocols. President Nyusi called on all Mozambicans to remain vigilant and committed to public health, stressing that “this may be another challenge in the field of public health, but together we can overcome it.”
