Vaccine Coverage: Resurgence of Measles Outbreak in Ghana

Abstract

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that can lead to severe complications and even death, especially in young children. Children who are not vaccinated against measles are at a higher risk of contracting the disease. In the first 5 weeks of 2023, a total of 209 suspected cases were reported in 11 districts and they were all later confirmed to be positive by laboratory investigations. The low vaccination coverage rates have contributed to the recent measles outbreak in Ghana, which has had devastating consequences on children's health. The outbreak has been linked to several factors, including low immunization coverage, poor healthcare infrastructure, and inadequate disease surveillance systems. Improving vaccination coverage and strengthening surveillance and monitoring systems are critical steps in controlling and preventing the spread of measles.

Trend of measles-rubella vaccination coverage and impact on measles epidemiology in the Savannah Region, Ghana; 2018–2022: A secondary data analysis

“…The country has a well-functioning measles surveillance system embedded within the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system, and between 2019 and 2021 all 261 districts reported and investigated at least one suspected measles case for each year [Ghana Health Service, 2021 Annual Report, unpublished]. Despite the remarkable efforts, the country’s quest to eliminate measles by 2020 was not realized due to confirmation of 88 cases in 2020; 1,274 cases in 2021; and 395 cases in 2022 [12] , [13] . With measles being a tracer disease, outbreaks correlate with decline in population immunity from reasons including suboptimal immunization programme performance [14] .…”