A mass vaccination campaign against measles was launched in the Chadian capital on 26th March 2010, following a rapid increase in measles cases affecting children and adolescents. Between the beginning of the year and the 20th of March, 3,550 cases were declared. Around 800 of them appeared during the third week of March and an emergency response was organised in collaboration with Chadian authorities.
More than 60 teams are deployed in the town to perform immunisation for all children between six months and 15 years old, totalling about 580,000 people. Between the 26th March and the 7th April, 480,000 children were vaccinated, and the campaign continues.
MSF also provides support, including medicines and human resources, to several health centres in the town, where simple measles cases are treated. For complicated cases, three centres have also been set up in the town. Malnourished children who are screened on the vaccination sites and in health centres are treated in the MSF therapeutic feeding centre in the town.
Measles is a major cause of death for children and adolescents around the world, especially if they are already malnourished or have other immune system weakness. Mass vaccination campaign is still the best way to reduce the intensity of epidemics once they are declared.