Last Updated on December 12, 2022 by Dr Bucho
IANS, December 12 juba: Following a steady increase in the number of verified cases over the previous 38 epidemiological weeks, South Sudan has declared a measles epidemic.
According to John Rumunu, the Ministry of Health’s Director General for Preventive Health Services, there have been 31 fatalities and 2,471 measles cases registered in 22 counties nationwide as of Sunday.
Rumunu told reporters in South Sudan’s capital Juba, “The National Ministry of Health hereby proclaims a measles outbreak in South Sudan based on the number of laboratory-confirmed cases across the country.”
The interruption of routine immunization services and the ineffective execution of supplemental immunization operations, he continued, are the main reasons why measles outbreaks have occurred again in South Sudan since 2021, according to the Xinhua news agency.
“The last national measles immunization campaign was conducted in 2020 with vaccination coverage of less than 85 per cent which is below the 95 per cent recommended target,” he said.
Rumunu stated that they will launch a measles vaccination campaign, strengthen nationwide routine immunisation programmes, and address any complications related to the disease. They will also launch an early epidemiological study to ascertain the scope of disease transmission.
Prevention is better than cure…
Measles Prevention and control
Measles Also called rubeola, is highly contagious – even more deadly than Covid – and can cause serious complications, especially in children under the age of 5.
Measles spreads when people breathe in or have direct contact with the virus-infected fluid. It can pass through droplets sprayed into the air when someone with measles sneezes or coughs. Someone exposed to the virus usually shows symptoms 7–14 days later. People with measles can spread the disease from 4 days before the rash starts until about 4 days after that. Kidshealth.org
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