KABUL, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Measles cases in Afghanistan increased by 37 percent year on year in the first four months of this year, the country's Ministry of Public Health said.

"In the first four months of the current year, over 3,000 positive cases of measles were registered in Afghanistan," local media outlet TOLOnews quoted the ministry's spokesperson Sharafat Zaman Amarkhilas saying on Friday.

Measles is an extremely infectious disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily when infected people breathe, cough or sneeze. It can cause severe symptoms, complications, and even death. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles.

Measles is endemic in Afghanistan, with nearly all provinces reporting suspected cases annually. Since the beginning of 2024, a total of 18,744 suspected cases and 94 associated deaths were recorded in the country, according to the World Health Organization's report in April. Enditem

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