7 News Belize

Measles Coming Closer
posted (April 16, 2019)
We are still not out of the woods yet when it comes to measles, so the Ministry of Health sent out another release today advising to get vaccinated. Although Belize has no reported cases, the release says "The Ministry of Health reminds the public that the risk of measles continues to grow for Belize with neighboring countries reporting measles cases. Measles is passed easily from person to person and anyone who is unvaccinated is at risk of getting the disease. Those most at risk are children. Here is an excerpt from a measles forum held in February.

Dr. Cecilio Eck, Paediatrician
"Well the at-risk group would be any baby less than five; those are the ones that get the most complications from it. The people who are most at risk of getting or transmitting the disease though, and hence the invitation of the media, is to make sure that all the population is vaccinated especially the upfront personnel such as the immigration officers, the police officers, health care workers of course. The Ministry of Health is revamping the program to vaccinate this at-risk population."

Reporter
"What are the signs and symptoms people should look for?"

Dr. Cecilio Eck, Pediatrician
"The most common ones and these are reportable illnesses, are if there are fever and a rash. If any doctor, nurse, or you guys now, recognize anyone with a fever and a rash please send them to a doctor. The doctor will recognize, report it to the relevant health authorities. It does not necessarily mean that they have to be rushed to the hospital but these guys need to report to public health and public health will do the requisite investigation at home."

Dr. Natalia Beer, Tech. Advisor - Maternal and Child Health
"One positive case diagnosed at the laboratory would be an outbreak for Belize and it would imply multiple interventions at the community level that will need a lot of resources because we would need to go around that one single case in a radius of almost 3 miles to ensure that everyone there is updated with their vaccine."

Today's release ends by saying that the public is advised to "report any cases of persons with fever and rash to the nearest health center; and practice good hygiene by washing hands frequently with clean, running water and soap. If you will be traveling to countries known to have measles, and you have not been vaccinated, you should receive the vaccine at least 15 days before leaving the country. The measles vaccine is available free of cost at all public health facilities countrywide."

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