Malawi has intensified cross‑border surveillance and vaccination efforts after a measles outbreak along the border with Mozambique claimed one life and affected at least 188 people in Nsanje.
The outbreak, first detected in September 2025 in Traditional Authority Malemia, has spread to several areas of Nsanje, including Mlolo, Ngabu, Chimombo, Nyachikadza, Tengani and Mbenje, according to an International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies report covering data up to 19 July 2026.
Of the 188 suspected cases, 76 have been laboratory‑confirmed, with children under 15 – especially those under five – most affected.
Some infections have been traced to neighbouring Mozambican communities, underscoring the role of cross‑border travel in the spread of the disease.
Health authorities say the situation has worsened in Mbenje where an Apostolic community discourages seeking medical care, contributing to delayed treatment and incomplete vaccination records.
A child died after not being taken to a health facility, prompting intensified community sensitisation efforts.
Malawi’s Ministry of Health is preparing urgent community mobilisation and risk‑communication campaigns to promote timely care‑seeking and measles vaccination.
Officials are also strengthening coordination with Mozambican counterparts to monitor possible transmission between the two countries.
The IFRC warns that response efforts are constrained by shortages of medical supplies, limited transport and fuel, and inadequate resources for active surveillance.
Mozambique has also been battling its own outbreak, reporting 697 cases and one death over seven months, with infections concentrated in Sofala, Nampula, Niassa and Zambézia provinces.
JN/APA