Measles, known locally as Bouhamroun, now poses an alarming danger to children in northern Morocco. The number of recorded cases has continued to increase for three months, causing serious concern among health professionals and families. According to information obtained by Hespress According to reliable sources, the death which occurred the day before yesterday Tuesday in the city of Tetouan is unfortunately not an isolated case in the region.
The same sources reveal that the Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma region has recorded at least eight deaths, including five at the Mohammed VI university hospital in Tangier. All these victims were from the province of Tangier. Furthermore, two deaths were reported in the province of Chefchaouen, while another was recorded in Tetouan.
According to data obtained from the provincial health directorates and the Mohammed VI University Hospital Center, 448 serious cases of measles required medical treatment this year, attesting to the severity of the situation.
According to information obtained by Hespressthe figures are particularly worrying for the last three months. Indeed, 115 cases were recorded in October, 113 in November, 104 cases in December, a number that is constantly increasing and which should continue to increase in the days to come.
Larger provinces like Chefchaouen also show alarming numbers of infections among children, estimated in the hundreds by informed sources. Faced with this worrying spread, awareness campaigns are underway to encourage families to vaccinate their non-immune children against this potentially fatal disease.
In the provinces of Larache, Ouezzane and M’diq-Fnideq, although no deaths have been recorded, several cases of measles have also been reported there. As a reminder, several months ago the Ministry of Health launched a national catch-up campaign for measles vaccination.
Medical sources interviewed by Hespress are sounding the alarm: it is imperative that families ensure that their children under 18 are vaccinated. They emphasize the importance of administering the doses planned to protect children against possible serious complications, especially in a worrying epidemiological context.
According to these professionals, the current situation worsened after the last school holidays, a period during which massive travel across the country favored the rapid spread of the disease. “ The speed of spread of measles among children even exceeds that of Covid-19 », they warn.
Experts also stress the urgency of making up for vaccination delays and restoring citizen confidence. They believe that distrust of vaccination, widely observed during the Covid-19 period, remains one of the major causes of this resurgence of measles in Morocco. “ It is imperative to combat neglect regarding the importance of vaccination “, they insist.
Faced with this epidemic, health authorities and health professionals are redoubling their efforts to raise awareness among the population and stop the spread of the virus, hoping to avoid further tragic losses.
