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Madagascar is exposed to the measles epidemic that is killing hundreds of people in Mauritius. The immunization rate of children is low
Madagascar is on guard against the measles epidemic in Mauritius. A small foreign woman of one year and a half, having stopped in this country after a trip to Dubai, was admitted to the University Hospital Center (CHU) Mother-child in Tsaralalàna, on June 22, for suspicion of measles. The sample taken from the victim, badyzed in the laboratories of the Pasteur Institute of Madagascar, confirmed the hypothesis of the doctors. The girl, living in the neighborhoods of 67 Ha, has caught this serious viral infection, which has already killed three children and has made four hundred and thirty five victims in Mauritius, according to the weekly bulletin of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Africa
The Ministry of Public Health talks about an imported case. "It's probably in Mauritius that she caught her illness. The little girl had been healthy in Dubai. She had not had a fever when she arrived at Ivato International Airport. It was only a few days after the clinical signs began to show up, "said Dr. Manitra Rakotoarivony, Director of Health Promotion, Ministry of Public Health yesterday. The girl escaped unscathed.
Low Immunization
The Ministry stands guard. Samples were taken from five other individuals who had contact with the first victim, since measles is transmitted by respiratory droplets produced by coughing or sneezing. "We are still waiting for the results of these tests to confirm whether they have been contaminated or not," says Dr. Manitra Rakotoarivony. There is something to be worried about. The measles immunization coverage rate is low in Madagascar.
"If 90% of children receive doses of tuberculosis vaccine or bacillus Calmette and Guérin (BCG) after birth, only 70% of children they complete the measles vaccine that is done in the 9th month, "says Dr. Manitra Rakotoarivony once again. Swallowed by survival, or away from health facilities, parents unconsciously deprive their children of this vaccine, which protects against this serious viral infection. Madagascar is, however, at the door of the elimination of measles. The number of cases has fallen sharply in recent years.
The Ministry of Public Health plans to launch a national campaign against this highly contagious viral disease. "A second dose of measles vaccine, after the baby's ninth month, will be included in the National Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), starting next year. The aim is to achieve a measles immunization coverage rate of 90% in 2020, "informs Dr Bodo Ramamonjisoa, EPI Director.
In recent months, Ebola has claimed victims in Africa. West and measles in Mauritius, the Ministry of Public Health reinforces surveillance at international airports, to identify early suspicious cases. But if this case has escaped the health workers at Ivato, others could enter the country without being aware of it.
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