Africa sees rise in measles as pandemic disrupts vaccines

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA
Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The World Health Organization says that Africa is seeing a surge of outbreaks of preventable diseases as a result of disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Benido Impouma, a World Health Organization expert in Africa, told a briefing Thursday that the continent has recorded more than 17,000 cases of measles between January and March, a 400% increase compared with the same period last year. He said that two years of disruptions by the coronavirus pandemic have had “major effects on the provision of routine health services, with immunization being seriously affected” in many countries.