Since October of last year, 19,515 measles cases and 107 virus-related deaths have been recorded in Morocco. During the oral questions session at the House of Representatives on Monday, December 30, 2024, Minister of Health and Social Protection Amine Tahraoui reported that infections represented 52.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, with a mortality rate of 0.55%. According to the official, children under 12 account for nearly half of the deaths.
The year 2023 marks a significant point as it represents the date when the epidemic was first identified in the Souss-Massa region. From there, it spread to Marrakech and Safi, eventually reaching the entire national territory. Amine Tahraoui attributes this evolution to the decline in vaccination coverage, generally observed since the Covid-19 health crisis in 2020, along with vaccination hesitancy.
In Morocco, the epidemic was effectively controlled between 1987 and 2014 under the National Strategy for Measles Elimination and Rubella Control. After accumulated peaks of 10,723 cases in 1999 and 10,841 in 2003, the evolution of vaccination coverage allowed for a drastic decrease in the infection curve starting from 2008. By 2013, vaccination coverage had reached 98%, exceeding minimum international recommendations, with only 98 cases reported that year.
Currently, this rate has fallen below the optimal threshold of 95% recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). In this regard, the minister emphasized that vaccination remains the only effective measure to contain the measles epidemic. For months, the department has been running a campaign to address this issue as part of a national plan focused on catch-up vaccination and strengthening the surveillance system.
As of December 20, 2024, this campaign has monitored 6 million children. In collaboration with the Ministries of National Education and Interior, catch-up vaccination has been carried out for 38% of them.