فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
In a presentation to the House of Representatives on Monday, December 30, 2024, Minister of Health and Social Protection, Amine El-Tahraoui, reported on the ongoing measles outbreak in Morocco, revealing that the total number of cases had reached approximately 19,000, with over 107 deaths linked to complications from the disease. This represents a fatality rate of 0.55% of all reported cases.
El-Tahraoui pointed out that most of the deaths occurred among children under the age of 12, raising concerns about the protection of this vulnerable group within the society. He attributed the outbreak to a decline in vaccination coverage in recent years, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a noticeable drop in vaccination rates.
The minister explained that the disease began spreading in the Souss-Massa region in 2023 and gradually extended to other parts of the country. He noted that the rapid spread of the disease was primarily due to the lower vaccination rates in the past, making the country susceptible to new outbreaks.
In response to the situation, the Ministry of Health has implemented several preventive measures, including ramping up catch-up vaccination campaigns, particularly for children. These health campaigns are being coordinated with the Ministries of National Education and the Interior to monitor cases and provide immediate medical interventions. The minister mentioned that 6 million Moroccan children have been tracked and approximately 38% of them have received catch-up vaccinations as part of the national effort.
As part of the precautionary measures, El-Tahraoui emphasized the importance of increased vaccination uptake as the most effective way to curb the spread of measles and eradicate the disease. He stressed that the decline in vaccination rates following the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the emergence of new outbreaks.
source : fesnews media
