According to a press release from WHO Angola, the Sumbe pediatric hospital in Cuanza Sul province is "under pressure" due to the increase in measles cases in recent weeks, and 23 children currently remain hospitalized.
"An average of eight new admissions per day has been recorded. At certain times, such as last week, the unit received up to 40 cases simultaneously, with days when 15 children were admitted with symptoms consistent with measles," explained the pediatric hospital's management, quoted by the WHO.
To date, 264 suspected cases of measles have been reported, spread across 16 of the 24 municipalities in Cuanza Sul province, according to health authorities closely monitoring the situation, the WHO emphasized.
"Of the total number of suspected cases reported and investigated, 34 are positive (two of which are dual measles and rubella infections), 29 are negative, 65 are pending, 148 are confirmed by epidemiological link, and nine have died," the United Nations health agency listed.
In terms of age profile, positive cases range from a four-month-old baby to a 35-year-old adult. However, the most affected age group is children aged one to five, including unvaccinated infants, school-age children, and young adults, it stated.
The WHO lamented that 224 of the 264 children affected by measles were not vaccinated. Of the 40 vaccinated, 29 received the first dose and 11 completed the second dose.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause serious complications such as pneumonia, severe diarrhea, encephalitis, and, in extreme cases, lead to death, especially among children and unvaccinated individuals, it warned.
Although preventable with a safe and effective vaccine, measles continues to pose a significant risk in settings with low vaccination coverage, concluded.
