SOLOMON ISLANDS HAS FOUR CONFIRMED MEASLES CASES
Health Permanent Secretary Doctor Lester Ross. Photo credit: Pioa.
Solomon Islands now has four confirmed measles cases in the country and all four of them are babies under 12 months old.
Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services, Doctor Lester Ross made the announcement in a media conference today.
Dr Ross says their surveillance system recorded 27 suspected measles cases, out of which four are confirmed.
“So far we have a total of 27 clinically suspected cases, especially with signs and symptoms of measles, I understand that this ranges from small children up to 30 year olds, so not only children but adults are also having the suspected rash that we think is the measles and out of those 27 cases, from tested blood samples four are confirmed cases”.
The Permanent Secretary also said clinics in Honiara started their vaccination campaign against measles as of today.
He said the vaccination campaign are for children between 6 months old to 4 years and 11 months old.
“The Ministry’s plan now is to vaccinate especially those who are at risk, which are children from six-month-olds to almost five years old (four years 11 months). Any child under five years to six months old will have to be immunised because they are the ones at higher risk to have complications ones being affected”.