Rise in Measles cases
Ouardirhi Abdelaziz
Like many countries around the world, Morocco is recording an increase in measles cases, particularly in the Souss Massa region, Taroudant, Chtouka Ait Baha, Chefchaouen, Chichaoua, and Azilal.
What does this new upward trend in measles cases mean? How can we explain this increase in cases of a disease that Morocco intends to eliminate? We explain everything to you.
The alert given in September 2023
The increase in measles cases currently recorded in Morocco is by no means a surprise. Since mid-September 2023, the local and regional services of the Ministry of Health in the Souss-Massa region have warned about the spread of the measles virus and the emergence of clusters in the provinces of Taroudant and Chtouka Ait Baha.
The cause of this outbreak is measles cases recorded in children not vaccinated against this serious and contagious disease.
The Ministry of Health was informed; it knew exactly what the situation was. Faced with the resurgence of measles cases, the officials of the Ministry of Health, in order not to create a feeling of fear or panic among the populations of the Taroudant and Chtouka Ait Baha region, explained that this situation was not worrying and that it was an isolated case.
Today, faced with the exacerbation of measles and the increase in the number of cases of this disease, the Health Department must be questioned about the reason for this sudden reappearance of this condition.
The right to know...
Moroccans want to know why, despite the alerts from the local and regional services of the Ministry of Health in the Souss-Massa region in September 2023 regarding the spread of the measles virus, we have arrived in January 2025 facing an epidemic with more than 20,000 people affected by measles and more than 100 deaths. What does this new upward trend in measles cases mean? How can we explain this sudden increase in cases of a disease that Morocco intends to eliminate? It should be noted that in 2018, the number of measles cases in Morocco was 07.
Health officials must explain to us, enlighten us, and communicate about this outbreak of measles cases.
Errors were made in the management of the measles cases that were observed and notified by the local and regional services of the Ministry of Health in the Souss-Massa region since September 2023.
This situation should remind us all—health professionals, parents, educators, civil society—that when faced with infectious diseases, one must never give up.
Why a resurgence of measles cases in Morocco?
All doctors will tell you that the only solution to eradicate measles is vaccination, and that as soon as children are not vaccinated or are incompletely vaccinated, this highly contagious infectious disease appears.
In our current context, it must be remembered that the health crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, which our country has experienced since March 2020 (our country recorded the first Covid-19 case on March 2nd), was largely responsible for the interruption of the vaccination of many children against measles. This sudden interruption of the vaccination of very many children leaves a critical legacy, an immune "gap" (a deep discrepancy, a significant gap), particularly in the Souss Massa region, hindering the fight against measles and, consequently, its elimination.
There was a relaxation, an abandonment of vaccination by certain households; parents who were poorly informed, not at all sensitised, and ignorant of everything about vaccination in certain remote communities in the Taroudant and Chtouka Ait Baha regions remained in a state of lethargy, hesitant, nonchalant, and preferring not to vaccinate their children. This is what the Ministry of Health confirmed. The investigations carried out in the field concluded that there was a very significant drop in vaccination in a number of health centres, which contributed to the spread of the measles virus.
Inform, educate, communicate
Regarding the resurgence of measles cases recorded in the Souss Massa, Taroudant, and Chtouka Ait Baha region, there were certainly errors made, or rather actions and activities not carried out, which concern the modes of health coverage, in particular mobile modes and household-to-household roaming.
Health professionals should, in principle, contact families as soon as their children's vaccination appointments have not been met, especially for mandatory vaccinations.
We are not going to blame the health professionals, but we must follow up on households whose children have not come to receive their vaccine. It is up to the nurses in the health centres to carry out motivated home visits to encourage parents to complete their children's vaccination. There are registers for this at all health centres.
Sensitise the population
It is obvious that among the populations, there are those who show a certain resistance to wanting to vaccinate their children, and it is among these groups that the transmission of the measles virus is most frequent, that the measles nests are alarming, and where the situation is becoming worrying.
The role of nurses with parents and consultants in the various health structures to sensitise them to all the benefits and advantages of vaccination is extremely important.
The success of any health programme remains dependent on good, clear, limpid, and understandable communication for everyone, but also on the relevance of the information conveyed through different channels that must be accessible—information that is useful and usable by the general public to strengthen their confidence and encourage them to have their children vaccinated against measles.
Importance of vaccination
Morocco is one of the pioneering countries that have committed to ensuring the child's right to vaccination, in accordance with Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Vaccination is a preventive act that allows for the avoidance of serious and potentially fatal diseases for which there is often no treatment.
Vaccination can allow for the elimination of an infectious disease on a global scale; we then speak of eradication, national or regional. Therefore, vaccination ensures both:
– Individual protection: not getting sick yourself.
– Collective protection: not transmitting the disease to those around you (family, parents, colleagues, friends), and thus reducing the risks of epidemic and the spread of the disease.
The greater the number of vaccinated people within a community, the fewer germs will circulate.
What is measles?
Measles is a very contagious and serious eruptive disease that is transmitted by air, when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes, and by hand (via the hands), which is caused by a very contagious virus and develops in the nose and throat of infected people. Measles is a disease to be taken seriously. It can sometimes require hospitalisation and lead to serious neurological complications that can lead to death.
Measles can affect anyone, but it is more common in children.
The article The situation is not worrying, but caution, awareness, and mobilisation are necessary appeared first on ALBAYANE.
