Measles Outbreak Recorded in 8 Nigerian States

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded measles outbreaks in eight states in Nigeria. This update was shared via the NCDC’s official website on Friday, 4th March.

According to the NCDC, the affected states are Jigawa, Anambra, Katsina, Rivers, Enugu, Delta, Osun and Sokoto. The disease control centre also revealed that there have been a cumulative 908 reported cases so far.

The public health agency also revealed that there was also a reported case in Zamfara, which, however, hasn’t been confirmed due to the unavailability of testing reagents.

Measles is an extremely contagious infection caused by a single-stranded, enveloped RNA virus known as morbillivirus. The infection is also very common among children. However, children receive vaccines against the virus between 9 and 12 months – one dose of 0.5 ml. And the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) also recommends a 2nd dose between 15 and 18 months.

According to the NCDC, 58.7 percent of confirmed cases were from persons who had not received the vaccine. The public health agency also revealed that as of 2021, a total of 15,792 suspected cases were reported across 683 local government areas (LGAs) across Nigeria.

Statement from the NCDC reads: “So far this year, a total of 908 suspected cases have been reported in 29 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Thirteen LGAs across eight states have recorded an outbreak of measles in 2022. The states are Jigawa, Katsina, Rivers, Enugu, Anambra, Delta, Osun and Sokoto. There is an ongoing outbreak of suspected measles cases in Zamfara, but this is awaiting confirmation due to lack of its testing kits in the country. Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, and Anambra accounted for 55.2 percent of the 908 suspected cases reported so far. Up to 58.7 percent of the confirmed cases have not received a dose of measles vaccine.”

According to the agency, of the reported 8 states, 100 percent of affected persons in Jigawa, Sokoto, Enugu and Katsina were not vaccinated

“Of the 908 suspected cases reported, 88 were laboratory confirmed, 166 clinically compatible, 148 were discarded and 506 are pending classification,” the agency disclosed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had earlier reported that between January and August 2021, there were 67,000 cases of measles across the country – more than double of what it had been in the previous year where recorded measles cases in Nigeria was 9,300.