Health Ministry Declares Measles Outbreak in Opuwo District

Health Ministry Declares Measles Outbreak in Opuwo District. The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has declared a measles outbreak in the Opuwo District of the Kunene Region after laboratory confirmation of ten cases out of twenty suspected infections. All confirmed patients are reported to be in stable condition, and no deaths have been recorded to date.

According to national health guidelines, an outbreak is declared when at least two of five suspected cases test positive in a laboratory. With Opuwo meeting that threshold, the ministry has moved swiftly to contain the situation.

Health officials are strengthening disease surveillance, launching public awareness campaigns, and rolling out an accelerated vaccination drive. A district-wide vaccination campaign is underway from 17 September to 3 October, targeting over 28,000 children aged six months to 15 years. As of 12 September, 1,525 children had already received their measles shots.

The MoHSS has urged parents and caregivers to fully cooperate with health workers to ensure that all eligible children are vaccinated. The ministry has also reminded families nationwide to keep vaccination records up to date and to seek medical care immediately if children develop symptoms such as fever and rash.

Measles, a highly contagious viral disease, spreads through coughing, sneezing, and close personal contact. While it mainly affects children, unvaccinated teenagers and adults remain at risk. Symptoms usually appear 10 to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose, and a distinctive rash.

Health authorities noted that most of the confirmed cases in the current outbreak involved unvaccinated children. Namibia’s routine immunisation programme provides two doses of the measles vaccine — one at nine months and another at 15 months — which remain the most effective protection against the disease.