MSF SUDAN: Measles vaccination campaign in El Geneina
26th January 2026 - Yesterday, a measles vaccination campaign started in El Geneina, West Darfur, following months of rising measles cases reaching El Geneina Teaching Hospital, with around 130 cases per week recorded in the measles isolation ward.
The campaign aims to curb the spread of the disease by vaccinating children aged 9 months to 15 years. It began yesterday and will run for six days.
On 25 January 2026, an emergency measles vaccination campaign was launched in El Geneina, West Darfur, at El Geneina Teaching Hospital, where MSF works. The six-day campaign is coordinated with the Ministry of Health and other health partners.
Our goal is to vaccinate children aged 9 months to 15 years to curb the spread of measles — a highly contagious disease that can be deadly without prevention.
Meet eight-year-old Shayma at a vaccination site in the Alsafa area of El Geneina. After seeing her family and neighbours get vaccinated, she decided to join as well.
“The injection didn’t hurt, and now I’m protected," she said.
In recent months, measles cases in the region have surged. Admissions have doubled at El Geneina Teaching Hospital, with around 130 cases per week in the isolation ward. This campaign is a critical step to urgently curb the outbreak in West Darfur.
In the photo: Children show their immunization cards after being vaccinated in Alsafa, El Geneina, West Darfur.