Measles continues to gain ground in France. This time, it is the Occitanie region which has been hit hard since, according to a communicated from the Regional Health Agency (published on May 24, 2019), 296 cases have been recorded since January 2019.
In detail, 84 cases were hospitalized and 29 cases “presented complications”. The most affected departments of Occitanie are Haute-Garonne (31), Aude (11) and Pyrénées-Orientales (66). The disease mainly affected children under 5 years of age and, in 25% of cases, the epidemic spread from a school or a crèche.
Caused by a paramyxovirus, measles most often affects young children, in winter or spring – in 2012, more than 40% of sufferers were between 1 and 9 years old.
Against measles, check your health book!
However, adolescents and adults can also be affected: in those over the age of 15, in 1 out of 2 cases, hospitalization is even necessary. In 60% of cases, the child recovers without sequelae, if he received the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine once at 12 months, then again twice, at 16 and 18 months.
As a reminder, the measles vaccine is one of the 11 vaccines that became mandatory in January 2018 for children under 2 years old.
To limit the risk of epidemics, the Regional Health Agency (ARS) Occitanie gives some advice: for people born before 1980, the risk of contracting measles is minor. For people born in 1980 or later, it is necessary to consult the health record on the “vaccinations” pages and check that the 2 doses of the vaccine have been received: otherwise, it is necessary to be vaccinated again. Talk to your doctor!
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