Measles kills 13 children in Borno – UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund has said that the current measles outbreak in Borno state  has  so far killed 13 children.

A statement Wednesday in Maiduguri by Eva Hinds, a Communication Specialist with UNICEF said the Nigeria 2017 Demographic Health Survey indicated that only 65 per cent of eligible Nigerian children receive their first dose of measles vaccine every year, lamenting that in Borno state, this low coverage has led to the deaths of at least 13 children in the current measles outbreak.

The statement added that in order to tackle the growing cases of measles, the Nigerian government is working with UNICEF and the World Health Organisation to contain the outbreak.

“Following a growing number of reported cases of measles, the government of Nigeria, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund and World Health Organisation, will conduct a vaccination campaign in Borno to protect 1.7m million children aged 6 months to 10 years against measles.”

The statement further said that the campaign would from March 21 – 25, 2019.

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