At the end of November MSF teams in Yida began to see an increase in measles cases in Yida. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease, which affects mostly children. There is no treatment against measles and only the complications can be treated. For malnourished children and people with reduced immunity, measles can cause serious complications, including blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea, ear infection and pneumonia.
MSF has launched a vaccination campaign to stem the outbreak and increase the immunization coverage in the population to protect against future outbreaks. In Yida the team aims to vaccinate 90% of the 34,000 children in the camp and the host community. More than 100 staff has been recruited to perform the 5 days of vaccination campaign.