ZIMBABWE recorded at least 38 new suspected measles cases last week from all provinces except Bulawayo metropolitan.
The disease re-emerged several weeks ago and according to the Health and Child Care ministry, 15 suspected cases and zero deaths had been reported by April 3 this year.
The ministry said the cases were reported from Mashonaland East (6), Masvingo (2), Harare (2), Mashonaland Central (1), Mashonaland West (1), Matabeleland North (1), Matabeleland South (1) and one case in Manicaland.
The cumulative figures are 93 cases.
Experts who spoke to NewsDay expressed concern over the re-emergence of the medieval disease.
Johannes Marisa, a medical expert, said there was need for more awareness so that people knew how to prevent the disease.
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“Measles has always been there and it can come in outbreaks which can be sporadic like what you highlighted above. What matters for now is for people to be cognisant of the fact that they have to receive a vaccination against measles, especially those that have not been vaccinated,” he said.
Marisa said children should be vaccinated at all costs to limit the risk of contracting the disease.
“Children should not escape vaccination. If one is not vaccinated, they are at a very high risk of mortality since the severity of the disease can be very high.
“I encourage everyone to take vaccination seriously so that we have a milder disease or we can stop the spread of the viral disease,” he said.
Marisa expressed concern over religious sects that do not embrace vaccination, saying this complicates healthcare delivery as it leaves people exposed to preventable diseases like measles.
Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai Rusike described the outbreak as unfortunate, adding it was sad that young Zimbabwean children, mostly those under the age of five, continued to contract measles despite the availability of a vaccine.
“The current measles outbreak in almost all the provinces may be as a result of a drop in vaccination coverage or depressed vaccination coverage post-COVID-19 and other health systems coverage.
“There is a need to accelerate immunisation activities to reduce measles cases and a deliberate effort should be made to reach out to the leadership of the various religious groups so that they can appreciate the benefits of getting their children vaccinated against measles,” he said.
Zimbabwe suffered a severe nationwide measles outbreak in April 2022 that proved to be deadly, particularly for children.
More than 750 children died from the disease within first six months of the outbreak.
