Visionary Reports

The campaign that started on August 13 will last till the 17 of August in the Littoral region

Vaccination campaign against Measles and Rubella is under way taken in the Littoral region. The campaign commenced on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, across three designated health districts in the Littoral region including Logbaba, Palm City (Wouri), and Yabassi (Nkam).The kickoff on August 13, 2025, was at the district hospitals of Logbaba and Palm City. It was carried out by a delegation from the Expanded Vaccination Program (Pev) – Littoral, led by James Longsi, head of the communication unit for Pev – Littoral. At each stop, the targeted children, aged 9 months to 9 years, received vaccines against measles and rubella.It is important to note that the Cameroonian government launched this vaccination campaign in response to measles outbreaks in nine health districts across five regions of the country. This initiative aims to strengthen the population’s immunity and prevent future epidemics.The targeted regions and districts include the Centre, specifically Biyem-Assi, Djoungolo, and Odza; the East with Yokadouma; the Littoral with Palm City, Logbaba, and Yabassi; the North with Poli; and the South-West with Kumba. The vaccination campaign that which will run from August 13 to 17, 2025, targets children aged 9 months to 9 years, who represent 72.2% of measles cases in the affected health districts.

According to the Regional Coordinator of the Expanded immunization Program for the Littoral, Dr Ewane Leonard, the campaign will ensure a satisfactory level of immunity to stop the progression of the epidemic. The goal is to protect children and prevent the spread of the disease in the affected regions.It should be recalled that measles is a serious and highly contagious disease caused by a virus belonging to the “morbillivirus” genus of the “paramyxovirus” family. It manifests as a high fever followed by the appearance of rashes on the body, often accompanied by other signs such as a runny nose, cough, and red, watery eyes. The measles virus is transmitted from person to person through droplets expelled by infected individuals when they sneeze or cough. Complications that can arise from measles include pneumonia, diarrhea, hearing loss, malnutrition, eye and ear infections, and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), which can sometimes lead to the patient’s death.Meanwhile, rubella is a disease that presents symptoms similar to measles (rash) and often leads to malformations (congenital rubella syndrome) in babies born to mothers who contracted rubella during pregnancy. These malformations can affect the heart, eyes, brain, ears, and central nervous system.

By Gina Esong