A vaccine campaign against measles is being resumed in the Maldives.
A case of measles was identified in the Maldives earlier in January for the first time after the Maldives eradicated measles. The Health Ministry announced that measles was once again present in the Maldives after a three year old boy tested positive for the disease. 12 cases linked to the original case were later identified.
Mass vaccination for measles began in capital Male’ after the identification of the first case. According to the Health Ministry, over 10,000 people were vaccinated against measles and Rubella under the program. The vaccination program was then extended to include the atolls, however, the campaign came to a stop due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC)’s Spokesperson, Dr. Nazla Rafeeq said if measles were to spread once again in the Maldives, it would be a much rapid transmission compared to COVID-19. Noting that there are a large number of people who have not completed their two doses of the measles vaccine, the campaign which had previously been halted is now being restarted to identify such people and administer the vaccine, said Dr. Nazla.
The campaign will first be restarted in atolls where there are no active cases of COVID-19. In this regard, the campaign will be resumed in Noonu, Laamu and Meemu atoll next week. Those between the ages of 18 months and 40 years who do not possess certification that shows two doses of the vaccine have been received will be vaccinated under the campaign, as well as foreigners working in the Maldives.
Those who have not received the required two doses of the vaccine are at the risk of contracting the disease. Therefore, while Maldives is battling a global pandemic, it is extremely important to ensure that other illnesses do not rapidly spread in the country at this time, said Dr. Nazla.
The Maldives was validated for Measles Elimination in 2017 by the World Health Organization (WHO) after it was verified that measles had not been seen within the community since 2009.
