SANA'A: According to IRIN, the UN news and analysis service, cases of measles in Yemen could be on the increase, posing a grave health threat to a nation which has been brought on its knees after a year of violence and political, financial and social instability. Experts assessed that the breakdown on governmental basic services, such as health and social care led to the surge, with vaccination programs having been suspended for lack of funds. The Yemeni government which is aware of the problem, is currently appealing to the international community, demanding that funds be allocated to alleviate suffering. In a year 126 children died from measles, a tragedy given that it could have been easily avoided via a vaccine. “It's very sad that we were talking about elimination in 2010, and now we are dealing with an outbreak,” said Arwa Baider, a child health program officer at the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). IRIN also revealed that the latest statistics from the Health Ministry at the end of February report that 3,767 cases of measles have been confirmed, resulting in 126 deaths, since mid-2011. By comparison, in the three years from the beginning of 2007 until the end of 2009, the ministry reported a total of 211 cases and no deaths due to measles. Seventy percent of these cases, and all of the deaths, were among children under five years of age. Most of the cases and deaths have occurred in the last four months. Measles has been reported across the country, but has been concentrated in Abyan, Aden, Al Bayda, Shabwa, Dhamar, Lahj, Amran and Sa'dah governorates. “The disease is spreading fast, reaching highly populated areas as well as areas with high levels of acute malnutrition,” Geert Cappelaere, a representative of UNICEF in Yemen, told IRIN. “There is a very valid concern of many more deaths if a massive country-wide immunization campaign is not started immediately.” The measles which is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus is extremely infectious and potentially deadly if those infected are already suffering from poor health or a weak immune system. All medical experts agree that malnutrition, poverty and unhygienic living conditions are exacerbating factors. Moreover there is no specific treatment for measles which in country like Yemen where medical treatment is often out of reach, or too costly. The World Health Organization agreed that this sudden outbreak of measles was also the direct result of the suspension in vaccination in rural communities. “The outbreak is a direct result of a decrease in routine immunization services during 2011; which is a direct result of the 2011 conflicts,” added Cappelaere. In response to the measles outbreaks, UNICEF in partnership with the Ministry of Health, WHO, and the US Agency for International Development, will launch the first phase of an outbreak-response vaccination campaign on 10 March in seven of the worst-affected governorates: Abyan, Aden, Lahj, Shabwa, Dahmar, Al Bayda, and Sa'dah. The second phase of the campaign will broaden vaccination across the country, but is dependent on additional funding. The cost of vaccinating eight million children is about US$9 million. BM
