Afghanistan: Vaccinations crucial in curving spike in measles cases among children

Another mother, 21-year-old Zahra, kept her eyes on her 10-month-old son, Ali Ramin, in the back of an ambulance while travelling from Bala Dara-i-Suf District in Samangan Province to Mazar-i-Sharif Regional Hospital.

“He received treatment in the local hospital for several days, but as his condition deteriorated, and we rushed here,” says Zahra says. Ali Ramin’s condition is now also improving.

In the first four months of 2024, our teams saw a surge in measles cases in facilities we run or support in three provinces of Afghanistan, affecting many babies and young children. Cases of measles are reported annually in Afghanistan, but this year’s spike in Balkh, Herat and Helmand provinces was worrying.

Between January and April, MSF teams treated almost 5,000 children for suspected measles: 2,700 at Mazar-i-Sharif Regional Hospital, 836 at Herat Regional Hospital in Herat Province and 1,406 at Boost Provincial Hospital in Helmand Province. Four in five of those admitted in Herat were under the age of one.