According to the country’s information minister, 157 children have died in Zimbabwe’s continuing measles outbreak, with the number of fatalities virtually tripling in just over a week.
The authorities accused apostolic religious factions of spreading the disease last week, claiming that unvaccinated people accounted for the majority of cases.
Children between the ages of six months and 15 from religious groups that oppose immunisation make up the majority of reported cases.
“It has been noted that most cases have not received vaccination to protect against measles. Government has invoked the Civil Protection Unit Act to deal with this emergency,” information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said in a post-cabinet briefing.
In just four days, the overall number of suspected cases nationally increased from 1,036 to 2,056, according to Mutsvangwa.
The administration has contacted traditional and religious leaders for their cooperation as the health ministry ramps up its immunisation program ahead of the start of the school year in September, she noted.
The measles outbreak is expected to put more burden on Zimbabwe’s health system, which has long been plagued by drug shortages and worker strikes.