Following Ambatofinandrahana, the Antsirabe II district is now under investigation. Several children died within two days in one of its communes. A tragedy struck the rural commune of Ambohitsimanavo in Antsirabe II district. Six children, all under 7 years old, died successively on August 4 and 5, according to official sources. The last child died en route to the Avarabohitra basic health center (CSB1), where he was to receive care. Measles is believed to be the probable cause of their deaths.
"The teams from the Ministry of Public Health immediately went to the field to conduct an investigation, in collaboration with officials from the Antsirabe II Public Health District Service (SDSP). Analyses performed confirmed that measles is indeed the cause of death for these six children," according to a post on the Ministry of Public Health's Facebook page yesterday.
Other sources provide different explanations: "Health professionals suspected measles as the cause of these deaths. These children presented symptoms of this disease, such as fever lasting one to two weeks, before dying," states a local authority in Antsirabe II.
For medical sources, attributing these deaths to measles must be approached with caution. One official notes that the basic health center chief was only able to examine two of the victims, who showed skin rashes. As for the four other children, they had already been buried. "In the absence of investigations into these cases, it is impossible to formally confirm that measles is the cause of all these deaths," indicates our source.
The presence of measles virus in this commune is confirmed. A confirmed measles case was reported in Sahanivotry Est in June 2026, according to analysis results from samples tested by the Pasteur Institute of Madagascar (IPM).
This eruptive disease continues to spread. Three children—two boys aged 30 months and one girl aged 7 months—from this commune show skin rashes, fever, and extreme fatigue. "Samples have been sent to the IPM to confirm whether this is indeed measles," the source continues.
In Mandrosonoro, in Ambatofinandrahana district, twenty-two suspected measles cases were reported last week. Samples from seven people were sent to the IPM for confirmation.
The measles virus continues to circulate. According to the epidemiological situation published by the Ministry of Public Health as of July 19, forty-two districts are in epidemic status, with twenty-four in active phase—where the virus is still circulating—while eighteen are in surveillance phase, meaning no new cases are detected but the surveillance period is not yet complete.
From January 1 to July 19, two hundred twenty-nine cases were confirmed by the Pasteur Institute of Madagascar, and seven thousand two hundred twenty-eight cases were confirmed by epidemiological link—meaning they were not subjected to biological analysis but presented the same symptoms as measles. "Low vaccination coverage rates favor measles spread," explains a Ministry of Public Health official.
The children who died in Ambohitsimanavo were not fully vaccinated. According to doctors' explanations, measles alone does not cause death. "Death occurs as a result of complications that can appear in unvaccinated individuals," explains a physician. A vaccination campaign will be deployed in response to this epidemic.