Measles cases fall sharply as only one new infection reported last week

Only one additional case of measles was detected in the Malé area last week, according to statistics released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) today. The figure brings the total number of people reported to have contracted measles in the Maldives so far this year to 287. The previous week, two measles cases were reported from the Malé area. The HPA statistics also show that 16,503 people have been administered the vaccine against measles so far this year. Although the Maldives had been designated as a country that had eliminated measles, the disease began spreading in May of this year. At that time, large numbers of cases were detected every week, but the number of people falling ill has now greatly decreased. The HPA has previously said that people who are unsure whether they have completed two doses of the measles vaccine – the disease spreads easily – can visit designated vaccination centres and have their vaccination completed. Health experts advise seeking treatment without delay if red rashes begin to appear on the body after a fever, noting that paying attention to the symptoms of the disease is an important step that can stop it from spreading further.