Since there is limited access to hospitals, residents in rural western Ethiopia claim that children have been dying from a measles outbreak over the previous few months.
Residents who spoke with the newsmen claim that travel had been impeded by road barricades built as a result of the ongoing warfare in the area.
The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebels’ base in western Oromia has been the target of a brutal conflict that the federal government has been waging.
Reporters received confirmation from health official Dereje Abdena concerning measles and malaria epidemics in the area, particularly those in drought-stricken districts. The officials claimed that they were attempting to contact those who were impacted.
“Just a few days ago we buried two children who died from measles. Medics have left the area,” a resident of Kondala district in West Wollega zone said.
Measles can result in serious sickness and is extremely contagious. Sometimes it can even be fatal. According to a recent UN study, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced as a result of hostilities, and the humanitarian situation in the western Oromia area “remains difficult.”
‘’Access, security and resources remain challenging to reach the affected population,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
In March, 2022, the WHO Regional Office for Africa said that the measles outbreak in Ethiopia, from week 1 to week 12 of 2022 led to 2755 suspected and 2156 confirmed cases of measles. Of the 2755 suspected cases, vaccination status was not known for 1103.
A measles vaccination campaign was conducted in Ethiopia from February to March 2022 in Somali and Oromia regions targeting more than half a million children aged between 6 months to 10 years. The campaign aimed to stop the spread of a measles outbreak reported from 12 districts.