Guinea: Measles Outbreak - Feb 2017

During the period 2014-2016, the country’s health system underwent Ebola Virus Disease outbreak with disruptive effect on health services along with degrading confidence in health services.

Being nearly overwhelmed by the EVD outbreak the responses, healthcare workers could hardly follow-up and implement surveillance, prevention and management activities for other diseases. The failure to give attention to the diseases resulted into increased upsurge of vaccine-preventable diseases outstandingly the measles. As a comparison, in 2014, the country experienced a measles outbreak which affected 25 health districts.

Surveillance of the disease shows that since early 2016, despite interventions (conduct of in-depth investigations and management of cases, response organization in the health Districts, enhanced surveillance, providing health Districts with vaccines and supplies, community awareness in measles), the confirmed cases were continuously reported in several health districts. In 2017, 408 suspected measles cases reported with 122 confirmed. The following prefectures are affected: Nzérékoré, Gueckedou, Matoto, Ratoma, Fria, Dubreka, Kindia, Coyah, Kaloum, Dixinn, Forécariah and Matam. The Prefectures of Siguiri, Labé and Boké are on alert. (IFRC, 24 Feb 2017)

On 25 February, the measles epidemic was been declared in 14 of the 38 health districts in Guinea. 13 districts have been put on alert. (Gov't of Guinea, 25 Feb 2017)

In early March, ALIMA launched a mass vaccination campaign, alongside national health authorities, in N’Zérékoré to protect some 140,000 children between the ages of six months and 10 years against measles. (ALIMA, 10 Mar 2017)

Between 01 January and 9 April 2017, a cumulative of 4,893 suspected cases including 17 deaths (case fatality rate of 0.4%) were reported. Of these cases, 3,906 were either laboratory confirmed at the Guinea National Laboratory for Haemorrhagic Fever or had established epidemiological links to confirmed cases. In spite of the aforementioned, as of 14 April 2017, the measles outbreak in Guinea has shown remarkable reduction in incidence cases being reported. The improved coverage of mass vaccination has started to yield positive results. Twenty two health districts are currently in epidemic phase. (WHO, 14 Apr 2017)