[ad_1]
A measles outbreak hit 30 people in South Korea last month and is expected to continue.
The last confirmed cases occurred in Seoul and southern Jeolla Province, and earlier cases confirmed in Daegu as well as in the Gyeongsang North and Gyeonggi provinces.
Of the 30 people who contracted measles, 15 are infants and children aged 4 and under. The others are medical workers or parents of children with measles and are between 20 and 30 years old.
|
| (Yonhap) |
The highly contagious disease probably came from abroad.
According to the World Health Organization, the United States and Europe have each witnessed more than 100 cases of measles, while more than 1,000 cases have been reported in Thailand and Malaysia.
The Philippines registered about 4,000 new confirmed cases last month.
The WHO ranked Korea as having eradicated measles in 2014, which means that no one was infected with a strain of local origin. In 2014, about 400 people were infected with a foreign strain.
The first sign of measles is usually a high fever, which starts about 10 to 12 days after exposure to the virus and lasts for four to seven days, according to WHO. Runny nose, cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots inside the cheeks may develop at the initial stage. After several days, a skin rash develops, usually on the face and upper neck, to spread to the hands and feet.
Korea's disease control and prevention centers advise people who have not been vaccinated to get vaccinated. It is advisable for people tested for measles to separate from others until the results appear in a day or two.
Measles infections can be prevented for life with only two injections of MMR vaccine, one between 12 and 15 months and the other between 4 and 6 years of age.
Parents of unvaccinated infants under 12 months of age, or children under 6 years of age who have not yet received a second dose, may consult a doctor about early immunizations.
Persons born between 1983 and 1996 who received only one dose of measles vaccine should receive a second dose before traveling abroad.
By Kim So-hyun ([email protected])
[ad_2]
Source link
