Mulanje Hospital in Malawi faces measles epidemic

Measles is a deadly disease in Malawi, as it is in most developing countries. That’s why Mulanje Hospital is bracing itself for an outbreak of this respiratory viral infection. Already, enough cases of measles have been reported for the area around the hospital to be designated a measles outbreak, and some children have died.

To handle the outbreak, Mulanje Hospital has launched a campaign in highly risky communities in the district, targeting children from 9 months to 15 years for vaccinations. One area targeted is a village where several children had measles and parents refused to take them to a hospital for treatment. Thousands were in the village attending a funeral, and could have had contact with the disease.

Normally, the government would handle such a campaign and include the whole district, but there are no resources for this at either the district or national level. Because of the support of donors through MBF and the PC(USA), Mulanje Hospital is able to meet this measles crisis.