New measles dose to be rolled out by January 2014

The Ministry of Health will introduce a second dose of measles vaccination on the routine vaccines in 2014. This is aimed at curbing any occurrence of the disease among children. According to Hassan Sibomana, an epidemiology specialist in the Ministry of Health, the second dose will be in effect by January 2014. “When children are immunised with the first dose, it protects them up to 85 per cent. With the second dose, children will get 100 per cent protection from measles,” he said. Sibomana said the first dose that is given at nine months is able to protect children even during an outbreak. “There have been outbreaks but children have not been severely affected because they have been immunised before, but now we will only have immunisation campaigns in case of outbreaks but not the usual campaigns that we had,” he explained The second dose of measles will be given to children between the age of 12 and 15 months. Sibomana, however, said this issue of what age should receive the dose is still yet to be agreed upon. The second dose will see the introduction of the rubella vaccination on the routine vaccination as well. At the beginning of March, the Ministry of Health introduced a three-day period of Measles–Rubella vaccination under which nearly 5 million children under 15 years, or 47 per cent of the population of Rwanda, will be immunised with the new vaccine. Measles is easily spread from person to person through coughing or sneezing and can cause a fever, cough, sore throat and rash, while in rare cases the disease causes breathing problems and swelling in the brain that may lead to death. Rubella is usually spread through close contact with a sick person. A pregnant mother is at risk of delivering a baby with malformations and mental problems if she gets infected with the rubella virus. The new vaccine protects against rubella infection, which causes fever, headache and rash in adults but generally few symptoms in children.

National

New measles dose to be rolled out by January 2014