Measles is out!

Madagascar is now facing the biggest measles outbreak which has increased over to 115,000 victims. Additionally, only 58% of the people have been vaccinated against the disease which is a big reason for its recent spread. With that being said, the World Health Organization stated the outbreak impacted mostly on minors under the age of 15 since the beginning of September. It has been established that more than 1,200 people have passed away over the last seven months. This is very critical because measles is a contagious virus that spreads through the air.

Get your Vaccine!

The disease can spread through coughing and sneezing. Moreover, the symptoms include a high fever, rash, stuffy nose, red eyes, and between ten to fourteen days. Nurses volunteer to help out the sick patients while some of the waiting rooms have been full. AP has disclosed that 50% of children are malnourished due to financial reasons in Madagascar. Likewise, many parents are not aware that vaccines are free due to the lack of health information. Measles is as one of the main causes of death for minors.

Information from the WHO

The World Health Organization confirms that about 450 die per day worldwide due to the disease. According to Immunize.org, the site discloses that complications from measles are more common for children under five years old.  There have been nineteen states that have reported measles cases this year by itself. Those states are California, Oregon, Texas, New York, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, and New Jersey. The WHO created a vaccination campaign in Madagascar with the plan of reaching 7.2 million kids between the ages six to nine years old. Madagascar’s health ministry has offer free medications to the places that have been highly impacted by measles.