 |
| Telltale signs of measles are rashes all over the body (CDC photo) |
The Centre for Health Protection has issued a warning against measles, after a 22-year-old local man who had visited Malaysia, was diagnosed with the viral disease.
But earlier, two other measles cases were detected
in Hong Kong, and both patients, an 11-month-old baby boy and a three-year-old
boy, had not been out of the city during the incubation period.
The CHP warned that there has a been surge in measles
infection lately, with more than 300,000 cases being reported globally last
year, up a massive 80 percent from 2022.
 |
| Buksan ang mga tip |
Low vaccination rate in Asian and European countries
after the pandemic appear to account for the upsurge in measles cases.
One of those grappling with a surge in cases is the
United Kingdom, which lost the measles-free status it acquired in 2017 only two
years later, just before the pandemic.
Last month, the UK Health Security Agency declared
that the country is in the midst of a measles emergency after hundreds of
children had contracted measles, especially in the West Midlands.
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
Officials fear the outbreak could spread to other
towns and cities unless urgent action is taken to boost the vaccination rate.
To keep the measles at bay, officials have sent
letters to parents of unvaccinated children to urge them to go for the shots.
Currently, only about 85% of susceptible children
under 16 years old are vaccinated, when a 95% coverage is needed to guard
against the disease.
 |
| TAWAG NA! |
HK’s CHP is also urging people who have not been
infected or jabbed to get inoculated, whatever their age. It is also advising
parents with kids under one who are not due for the first dose of the vaccine
to avoid travelling to places where
there are outbreaks.
Measles is an acute, highly contagious viral disease capable of causing epidemics. It remains as one of the leading causes of death among children globally.
The measles virus infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include high fever, runny rose and a rash all over the body.
 |
| PINDUTIN DITO |
Immunisation has dramatically reduced the incidence
of measles worldwide, but frequent outbreaks continue, especially in Europe and
Asia.
 |
| PADALA NA! |
