No fewer than 20 children have been killed by measles outbreak in 18 Local Government areas of Sokoto State in the last 23 days, a health official has revealed. Dr. Sani Labaran, Executive Secretary, Sokoto State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, disclosed this in an interview in Sokoto, yesterday, describing the situation as an epidemic. He said that the deaths were recorded out of the over 300 cases reported to hospitals and primary healthcare centres in the 244 wards across the state. Labaran stated that several of the children afflicted by the disease were currently receiving treatment at various health facilities across the state. However, the scribe said: “The situation has been brought under control, with many of the affected children, aged between zero and 59 months, treated and discharged from the hospitals. “Adequate drugs and medicament had been distributed to hospitals across the state.’’ Sani Labaran further said that adequate cold chain materials and vaccines had been distributed across the state. Labaran regretted that most of the children afflicted were those whose parents rejected the vaccines conducted in the last three years.