By Mtheto Lungu, AfricaNews
LILONGWE, MALAWI, 10 May 2010: Outbreak of measles in Malawi had taken ill over 3.000 people and killed eight in Blantyre alone. Twenty-six cases have been recorded by Monday in Mwanza and Neno districts.
Health officials had last week announced it would require 4,1 million US dollar to vaccinate over six million children countrywide.
The situation has forced the government to jump the gun and implement its three year interval measles civic education and vaccination campaign to kick start immediately. Four districts in Malawi’s Southern region, including Blantyre, are now on the crash programme.
Last week cam-paigns were rolled out in Blantyre, Chiradzulu and Mzimba districts.
Deputy Minister of Health Theresa Mwale said: – With assistance from MSF, France and Belgium we have rolled out this vaccination campaign. We are mainly targeting children below 15.
She called on all people to go for the vaccination.
