Measles outbreak amidst COVID-19 pandemic in Africa: grappling with looming crises

Abdullahi Tunde Aborode; Abdulhammed Opeyemi Babatunde; Bright-Agbonze Samuel Osayomwanbor; Emmanuel Adebowale Fajemisin; Oko Christian Inya; Olayinka Olajiga; Anthony Chinonso Uwandu-Uzoma

doi:10.1186/s41182-021-00375-3

Measles outbreak amidst COVID-19 pandemic in Africa: grappling with looming crises

Trop Med Health. 2021 Nov 2;49(1):89. doi: 10.1186/s41182-021-00375-3.

Authors

Abdullahi Tunde Aborode^{1

2}, Abdulhammed Opeyemi Babatunde^{1

3}, Bright-Agbonze Samuel Osayomwanbor⁴, Emmanuel Adebowale Fajemisin⁵, Oko Christian Inya⁶, Olayinka Olajiga⁷, Anthony Chinonso Uwandu-Uzoma⁸

Affiliations

¹ Healthy Africans Platform, Research and Development, Ibadan, Nigeria.
² Student Against COVID-19, Research and Education, New York, USA.
³ Department of Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
⁴ Infection Prevention and Control Programme, School of Nursing and Health Science, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK.
⁵ Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. Emmafajems16@gmail.com.
⁶ Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
⁷ Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, USA.
⁸ Faculty of Health studies, School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership, University of Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and measles are major threats to the health and wellbeing of Africans. Measles is an endemic disease in Africa with a high mortality rate especially in children despite available vaccines. This letter aims to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prevention and management of measles in Africa. The emergence of COVID-19 has exacerbated the morbidities of measles due to multi-factors like the disruption of mass measles routine vaccination, a monopolistic focus on COVID-19 eradication, malnutrition, and poor surveillance. Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic and looming measles epidemic pose a double burden on the African health sector. We recommend urgent interventions from government and other stakeholders including community leaders to strengthen measles research and vaccination programs in Africa amidst the pandemic.

Keywords: Africa countries; COVID-19; Double burden; Measles; Pandemic; Vaccination.

Publication types

Letter