MEASLES TO BE ERADICATED BY 2020, 1.5 MILLION CHILDREN IMMUNIZED IN ANAMBRA STATE.

Anambra state Governement says it has three hundred and nineteen reported measles cases from January to September last year (2015).

The commissioner for health in the state, Dr. Joe Akabuike announced this while speaking with newsmen on measles campaign scheduled to kick-off on Thursday this week in the area.

He stated that over one point five million children between nine months to five years were expected to be captured during the exercise.

According to him, measles is a highly infectious disease caused by measles virus through respiratory droplets or airborne and is regarded as one of the childhood killer diseases.

The commissioner explained that measles mortality was more amongst malnourished children less than five years of age and those living in overcrowded conditions.

Dr. Akabuike pointed out that the clinical syndrome was characterized by rash, prodromal fever, conjunctivitis, cough and the presence of koplic’s spots in the mouth.

He maintained that the overall goal of the exercise was to reduce morbidity and mortality due to vaccine preventable diseases among children through support for programmes that benefit them.

Correspondent Kelvin Ekediegwu quotes Dr. Akabuike as saying that a routine immunization is the only way to ensure that measles is eradicated before 2020 in the country.