Measles outbreak in sub-Saharan Africa amidst COVID-19: A rising concern, efforts, challenges, and future recommendations

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the number cases of Measles have spiked by 400%, some of the countries affected being Ethiopia, Somalia and Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is due to the emergence of COVID-19 which has disrupted the global fight against Measles by impairing the routine immunization programs. This has led to suspension of the measles vaccination drive, where about 23 million children missed out on all basic childhood vaccines including Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the efforts to conduct mass immunization campaign for Measles in some countries, there is a need to build stronger health systems that would provide education to promote awareness and commitment to routine Measles vaccination and provide Vitamin A supplements to boost immunity.