At least 19 children have died due to a suspected measles outbreak in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Adamawa, an official said Sunday.
Adamawa State Health Commissioner Felix Tangwami said in a statement that measles was detected in more than 200 children in the Mubi North local government area.
Stressing that medical personnel and medicines were quickly sent to the region, he assured that children with severe infections would be referred to specialist hospitals.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease and one of the leading cause of death among young children in Africa, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccines, WHO says.
Last year, Nigeria recorded 11,433 confirmed cases with 89 deaths, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
An outbreak in Zimbabwe killed at least 157 children in 2022, with more than 2,000 infections reported across the country.
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