Vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks on the rise in Africa

Brazzaville – Africa is witnessing a surge in outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases over the past year. Almost 17,500 cases of measles were recorded in the African region between January and March 2022, marking a 400% increase compared with the same period in 2021. Twenty African countries reported measles outbreaks in the first quarter of this year, eight more than that in the first three months of 2021. Outbreaks of other vaccine-preventable diseases have also become more common. Twenty-four countries confirmed outbreaks of a variant of polio in 2021, which is four more than in 2020. In 2021, 13 countries reported new yellow fever outbreaks in the African region, compared to nine in 2020 and three in 2019. Inequalities in accessing vaccines, disruptions by the COVID-19 pandemic including a huge strain on health system capacities impaired routine immunization services in many African countries and forced the suspension of vaccination drives. “The rise in outbreaks of...