This Thursday, January 17, 2019, 13 cases of measles were recorded in Reunion. Two out of 3 patients are adults who have not been vaccinated or who have received only one injection of the vaccine out of the two required. Patients include a pregnant woman and children.
In a press release, the Regional Health Agency (ARS) for the Indian Ocean warns of a risk of an epidemic on the island: “following the arrival of several travelers who have been infected with measles outside the department, Reunion must currently face a risk of the start of an epidemic in the south of the island”.
“The Indian Ocean Health Agency therefore calls for strong vigilance because measles is a highly contagious infectious disease, in the absence of vaccination. Therefore, all those who have not already contracted the disease in their childhood are invited to check and update their vaccination if necessary with their doctor,” add the authorities.
The MMR vaccine, compulsory in France since January 2018
As a reminder, since October 2018, the island of Madagascar has been experiencing a measles epidemic with 17,400 cases recorded at the end of December 2018.
“Vaccination is the only way to protect yourself from the disease and to avoid its spread to those around you” adds the ARS, which recommends that the population “check their measles vaccination status with healthcare professionals. health” and to “consult your doctor in the event of suggestive signs (appearance of a high fever followed within 2 to 4 days by a rash of red patches)”.
In France, since January 1, 2018, vaccination against measles is compulsory for infants who must receive a dose of the combined Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine at the age of 12 months and a second dose between 16 and 18 month.
Read also :
Measles: outbreak of cases in Europe
A single unvaccinated person caused the measles outbreak in New York in 2013
Immunotherapy: the measles virus to fight against cancer?
