The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged the Libyan health authorities and the international community to provide more support to help address critical health needs in Libya.
Development Diaries reports that the Libyan National Centre for Disease Control has confirmed 391 suspected measles cases in the country.
It also stated that the most affected areas were Althanawia, Almashroa, Hay Abdel kafy, Altaury, and Altadamon in the Sabha municipality and Tenenei in Bani Waleed municipality.
The WHO Representative in Libya, Elizabeth Hoff, said the re-emergence of sporadic outbreaks is a worrying sign of a heightened risk for spreading vaccine-preventable diseases that could place children’s health at significant risk.
Hoff said, ‘The ongoing conflict, pandemic-related disruptions and increasing inequalities in access to vaccines globally and in the region have led to the diversion of resources from routine immunization programmes in Libya, leaving children unprotected against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases’.
The health body noted that it is working with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in supporting efforts to strengthen immunisation systems so that every child receives the protection they need.
A 2018 study by the Libyan Journal of Medical Sciences showed that measles incidence in Libya was 152 per million.
The study further pointed out that the low coverage rate of measles vaccination is the main cause of the disease outbreak in the country.
Source: Apo News
Photo source: UNICEF
