By Staff Writer
An outbreak of measles which has been plaguing Ngorongoro District for the last ten weeks has so far killed 20 children in the remote area of northern Tanzania.
The District’s Medical Officer Dr Kennedy Israel explained here that the highly contagious disease, also known as ‘Rubeola,’ was first reported in the Kakesio Village in late April 2011 before spreading further in the District and so far 20 children have lost their lives from the 650 infections recorded in the area.
“And that is only the number of officially reported deaths but we suspect that the death toll could be higher than that because Ngorongoro is a vast District with much of its locality spread in the wild,” said the DMO.
Ngorongoro which is mostly a conservation area with just a tiny fraction of its geographical area inhabited by people, the District has an estimated population of 170,000.
“All the necessary steps towards containing the outbreak have been taken,” said Dr Israel adding that children in the District are currently being vaccinated with MMR immunization.
However, the efforts to vaccinate the juvenile population in Ngorongoro District is being challenged by the fact that, most of the area residents are nomadic pastoralists who keep moving from one place to another, tending livestock and searching for both water and greener pastures.
“As a result, whenever we visit a household or village, chances are the occupants would be gone and in the remote areas of Ngorongoro, villages are usually located up to 50 kilometers from each other,” explained the DMO.
The Ngorongoro District Hospital’s Health Secretary Ms Josephine Elikashe said in addition to the efforts being taken to contain the situation, her hospital has also taken the initiative to conduct outreach programs through which the local community are educated on how to identify early signs of measles and what to do promptly.
Medical experts say there is no specific treatment for measles, but most patients with uncomplicated measles will recover with rest and supportive treatment.
The area member of parliament, Mr Saning’o Ole Telele said while precautions are being taken on District Level, his office has taken things to higher level by presenting the matter to both regional and national authorities.