Few in measles hit Madagascar can afford vaccine

On August 29, a young albino child was kidnapped and his 21-year-old mother murdered in the remote village of Ambatolampy in south-eastern Madagascar. Recent years have seen a rise in murders of Albinos on the island, with their body parts often used in rituals and ceremonies. The crime triggered a local riot, with an angry mob storming the local police station to kill the apprehended suspects.

US President Joe Biden's claim in a TV interview that "the pandemic is over" has triggered a sell-off, wiping over $10 billion off the market value of the main Covid-19 vaccine makers. Investors are worried about public apathy towards Covid and the resulting impact on demand for vaccines and boosters.

The region's worst drought in decades has left residents of the Toliara region in dire need of food and water. The region in the southern part of the island is bracing for difficult times due to anticipated low rainfall.

Amid rising cholera outbreaks and global vaccine shortages worldwide, the WHO has announced a temporary shift by recommending one dose instead of the standard two-dose regimen.

Kenya is the latest nation to report cholera as Africa sees a spike in cases, especially in flood-hit Nigeria and Cameroon. This comes as WHO cut vaccine doses because of a supply shortage.

Years have passed since it properly rained on the African island nation. In 2021, one million people were dependent on emergency aid, and this year aid organizations fear that the number will rise.

The world is experiencing the highest number of cholera outbreaks in recorded history alongside an acute vaccine shortage. Why?

India's financial hub Mumbai is battling to contain a post-COVID surge in measles. Health officials partly blame a disruption to immunization programs which has resulted in many children missing measles vaccine doses.

Tanzania has increased its nationwide measles vaccination drive to prevent outbreaks among its population. The move by the East African nation comes after the World Health Organization warned the virus is becoming a global threat.

Heavy rainfall that followed the landfall of Tropical Storm Cheneso in Madagascar has killed 16 people and left 17 missing, the government's Office for Risk and Disaster Management said.

Scientists in Brazil are hopeful that a campaign to vaccinate endangered monkeys against yellow fever could save them from extinction. The last outbreak of the disease decimated the population of highly vulnerable golden lion tamarin monkeys.

A keenly-watched malaria vaccine from Oxford University has secured its first approval, in Ghana, as the African country ramps up efforts to combat the mosquito-borne disease that kills a child every minute.