The World Health Organization reported that Afghanistan has seen 18,744 suspected cases of measles, including 94 deaths, since the beginning of 2024.
According to the WHO, 80.5% of these suspected cases, or 15,096, were among children under five, and 45.1%, or 8,462, were females.
The organization’s report highlighted that Balkh province had the highest cumulative incidence of suspected measles, with 14.6 cases per 10,000 people. This was followed by Samangan with 14.3, Khost with 11.3, and Farah with 10.3.
The report also noted a downward trend in the epidemiological curve of suspected measles cases over the past four weeks, following a rise since late November 2023. This decrease could be due to reduced community transmission as winter ends in some provinces, and the impact of a multi-antigen acceleration campaign targeting 53 districts across 13 provinces.
During the 16th week of 2024, there were 1,316 suspected cases and seven associated deaths, indicating a stabilization in the number of suspected measles cases compared to the previous week.
