Measles outbreak kills at least 42 people in northeast Nigeria

The deaths were recorded out of nearly 200 suspected measles cases in the state of Adamawa, official says.

At least 42 people have died from a measles outbreak in a little more than a week in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Adamawa, the state’s health commissioner says.

Felix Tangwami said on Friday that the measles outbreak had mostly affected two local government areas where nearly 200 suspected cases were identified.

“Measles vaccines have been released to those areas and our field teams are containing the situation,” he said at a media briefing.

Measles is a highly contagious, airborne virus that mostly affects children under the age of five. It can be prevented by two doses of vaccine. Its early symptoms include high fever, cough and runny nose. It also often causes rashes and bumps all over the body of the patient.

More than 50 million measles deaths have been averted through vaccinations since 2000, according to the World Health Organization.