In collaboration with its partners, the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Health has inaugurated a comprehensive measles-rubella vaccination campaign aimed at reaching 1.3 million children across Sierra Leone.

The week-long campaign is scheduled from June 28 to July 4, 2024, and is targeting children aged 9 to 59 months in all 16 districts of the country.

Desmond Maada Kangbai, Program Manager of the Expanded Program of Immunisation (EPI), highlighted the necessity of the campaign due to recent measles outbreaks exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that the country aims to achieve 95% coverage nationwide within seven days. 

Dr. Innocent Nuwagira, representing the World Health Organization, praised Sierra Leone’s commitment to child health through routine immunization efforts, emphasizing the campaign’s role in achieving universal coverage and preventing future outbreaks.

Between January and June 2024 alone, Sierra Leone reported approximately 300 measles cases.