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Yemen: Measles Outbreak - Mar 2012

Status
Past
Countries
Yemen
Disaster types
Epidemic

Over 4,300 measles cases and 155 deaths were officially reported in Yemen between January 2011 and March 2012, with 95 per cent of deaths reported since the beginning of 2012. The steep increase in measles incidents is due to the decline in immunization coverage and disruption in access to basic social services in most parts of the country during the civil unrest. Mortality due to measles is already very high and will increase further, especially if compounded with a rise in acute watery diarrhoea and increasing rates of malnutrition. (OCHA, 8 Mar 2012, OCHA, 5 Apr 2012)

In Apr 2012, a national measles campaign targeting over 8.2 million children (6 months to 10 years) achieved a coverage rate of 94 per cent and resulted in the number of reported measles cases falling to 106, with zero deaths (UNICEF, 1 May 2012).