Measles Outbreak in Braila County: 105 Confirmed Cases, Mostly Among Unvaccinated Children

• according to DSP Braila, until April 10, 105 cases of measles were confirmed in Brăila county, out of a total of 156 suspected • mostly it is about children, from the urban environment, unvaccinated or with the incomplete vaccination scheme

Braille doctors have confirmed new cases of measles this spring! According to the Directorate of Public Health of Brazil (DSP), 156 suspected cases of measles were registered at the county level until April 10, of which 105 were later confirmed by the laboratory National Institute of Public Health. Most of the illnesses were among children, with 86 cases in the records, but adults were also affected, even in a high number compared to other years, that is 19. Regarding the original environment, 57 patients diagnosed were from the urban environment, and the remaining 48 from the rural environment.

According to the same source, in 87 of the cases there were people who were unvaccinated or with an incomplete vaccination record.

At the beginning of this year, at the Brăila county level, vaccination coverage with MMR serum the dose for 12 months was 96.3%, and the serum for the second dose, respectively for children aged 5 years – 63.8%. In numbers, this means that 56 eligible children were vaccinated in the 9-11 month age group with the zero dose. In the 12-month group, 175 children were vaccinated against MMR, and in the 5-year-old group, 104 vaccinated children were enrolled.

We remind you that the first case of measles this year, in Braila, was confirmed in January. It was about a baby, only 4 months old, who was not vaccinated against this virus. With a mild form of measles, the child was discharged with a favorable evolution.

Regarding the situation at the national level, INSP recently reported that between January 1 and April 7, 2024, nearly 11,400 cases of measles were confirmed. Of these, around 800 were registered in the last week alone, in 40 counties and in the capital.

Unfortunately, however, also this year, according to INSP, there were also 12 deaths as a result of measles.

Measles, also known as measles, is an infectious disease that is easily transmitted especially to unvaccinated children, and sometimes the evolution is bad and complications can occur, so do not ignore the symptoms, yes doctors warn.

What are the symptoms of measles?

Pediatricians say that the first symptoms of measles in children are very similar to flu symptoms and appear in the first 10-12 days after being exposed to the virus, from after the incubation period. So we are talking about fever, cough, rhinorrhea (runny nose), red eyes, sore throat, small dots on the tongue and inside the oral mucosa (Koplik dots). After that, a rash appears, which usually lasts a week and appears all over the body. Children with measles can be contagious for four days before the rash starts and can spread the disease for another four days after the spots appear. Precisely for this reason, it is very important, draw the attention of the experts, that the infected person stays at home for at least two weeks, and in more serious situations, even 21 days.

In Romania, the National Immunization Calendar recommends two doses of MMR vaccine for children. For adults, vaccination is possible at any age, also with two doses.