Cameroon’s Minister of Public Health Malachie Manaouda said on Monday 14 measles-related deaths were recorded in the country since January 2019.

More than 90 percent of the victims were children. In total, 42 cases of measles have been reported since the start of the year, Manaouda told a press conference.

A measles vaccination campaign targeting at least three million children will run across the country from December 4 to 8, he added.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Public Health, Cameroon recorded 550,100 deaths from the epidemic in 2000, but was reduced by 97 percent in 2017 thanks to vaccination.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons.

Source: Xinhuanet