Measles and the Prime Minister...

Measles has brought Opuwo to the forefront of National attention this week. On Tuesday, Health Minister Mr. Richard Kamwi and a delegation of high ranking officials from UNICEF and WHO arrived in Opuwo. Their goal was to lend their expertise in the crisis where possible, and to bolster National awareness of the situation here. To date, we have 1, 0 51 measles cases reported, and 15 deaths. As Minister Kamwi pointed out during the press conference he held yesterday evening, the fatality rate is relatively low (about 1.5%) compared to the expected 3-5% seen in many other developing countries, which is a sign that our case management is successful.

In his speech, the Minister pledged to avail all resources necessary from the National level Ministry of Health and Social Services so that Kunene Region can "bring this epidemic to its knees." Over the course of two days, he traveled to a few areas of the Kunene Region so that he could speak directly with staff members and experience the epidemic on the ground. What he discovered were issues such as chronic staff shortages due to the extreme rural setting of some of the health clinics, low immunization coverage in areas where clinics do not have access to EPI fridges or electricity (we have many such clinics), and the extreme terrain which is characteristic of Northern Kunene Region.

Today Minister Kamwi is out in the field again, speaking to health workers on the ground. It is possible that this visit will be the catalyst which Kunene Region needs to upgrade health facilities and increase outreach services. The Minister informed the delegation that 15 4x4 off-road vehicles will be allocated to MOHSS Kunene Region in order to help the 3 health districts (Opuwo, Outjo, and Khorixas) expand outreach services.

The delegation will also sit later this week to draw up a micro-plan which will help our region expand routine immunization coverage from the current 60% or children covered up to the 90% which UNICEF recommends. This could mean a major overall reduction of serious childhood illnesses.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and hopefully the awareness raised from our situation here will help the Ministry of Health expand health coverage, as well as help parents better understand the importance of vaccinating their children.