Some 11 Health Districts are affected by the epidemic that has been going on for some months now.
In the past few months, there have been reported cases of measles in some 11 Health Districts in the North West Region. There are Ndu, Nkambe and Nwa in Donga-Mantung, Ndop in Ngoketunjia, Kumbo East and Kumbo West in Bui, Bamenda in Mezam, Wum in Menchum, Batibo in Momo and Fundong in Boyo Divisions. Recently in Benakuma in Menchum Division, two deaths out of four were established to be the result of the disease.
According to Dr. Sama Julius, Head of Unit of the Expanded Programme on Immunization in the North West Regional Delegation of Public Health, the two confirmed cases were compounded by malnutrition. Meanwhile, investigations are still going on to find out if the other two children died of measles. He further explained that their investigations revealed that the parents of the children refused to take them to the hospital during the measles attack due to a local belief that if a child affected by measles is injected, the child will die. So, they kept back the children until they died.
Dr Sama was quick to add that the measles epidemic in most of the Health Districts was self- limiting, but for the case of Benakuma that drew attention. When the deaths were recorded, the Governor asked the Regional Delegate of Public Health to send people to assess the situation. The team was led by the Regional Delegate herself, Dr Manjo Matilda. “On the field, we registered 106 of measles, out of which 85 were taken care of in the hospital while the others did not warrant hospitalization,” Dr Sama Julius explained.
As an emergency measure, the field team administered vaccination in six affected villages and two other neighboring communities. The villages are Banum, Banahundu, Bosong, Akereru, Ebereogu, Ekura and Eyenge. During the campaign, 4,438 children aged 0 to 10 years were vaccinated against measles. Dr Sama added that there are isolated cases of measles epidemics nationwide, with 53 Health Districts affected. He appealed to parents to take their children to the nearest health centres for vaccination.
