By Temwa Tembo

Malawi is recording measles cases at levels far above what is normally expected, with some districts registering more than 400 cases against a threshold of 25 cases per one million children.

The development comes as the ministry of health prepares to conduct a nationwide Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign from September 21 to 25, 2026, targeting about five million children below the age of nine.

Nsanje, Mzimba, Blantyre, Balaka, Dedza, Lilongwe and Kasungu are among the districts that have reported measles cases.

Principal Health Promotions Officer in the Ministry of Health, Richard Mvula said the current situation is a cause for concern.

Mvula said while uptake of childhood vaccines is generally high during the first year of life, some parents and caregivers stop taking their children for vaccination after they turn one.

He said the decline in vaccine uptake beyond the first year leaves some children without the vaccines they are supposed to receive under the routine immunisation schedule.