UNICEF Armenia urges measles vaccination

ArmInfo.Measles cases across  Europe, including Armenia, continue to surge, with the number of  measles cases recorded in Armenia this year have already reached the  total number of cases reported throughout 2023. 

In 2023, 545 confirmed cases of measles have been registered in  Armenia, 382 of which were children. As of 5 August, 2024, already  543 confirmed cases of measles have been registered in Armenia, 323  of which are children, UNICEF Armenia reported on Tuesday.

According to the latest available data, 56,634 measles cases and four  deaths were officially reported across 45 out of 53 countries in the  WHO European Region during the first three months of 2024. Throughout  2023, 61,070 cases and 13 deaths were reported by 41 countries. In  Armenia, one death was recorded in 2023.

"Measles cases continue to rise both globally and in Armenia. The  epidemic situation may become somewhat aggravated due to the tourism  season. I am grateful to our international partners, particularly to  UNICEF, with whom our joint campaigns contribute to raising awareness  among the population both on avoiding the complications from measles,  as well as on the importance of measles vaccinations. This leaves a  direct impact on reducing measles infection and mortality rates. I  would like to stress that measles is not an ordinary rash, it is  highly contagious and spreads quickly among unvaccinated or  incompletely vaccinated people. Parents of children who have not  received their measles vaccine should contact their polyclinic and  vaccinate their children. Previously unvaccinated and incompletely  vaccinated persons are also subject to vaccination," said Lena  Nanushyan, First Deputy Minister of Health.

"An increase in measles cases is a clear sign of a breakdown in  immunization coverage. As cases of measles continue to surge, we need  urgent action to both strengthen health systems and implement  effective public health measures to secure protection of all children  from this dangerous but preventable disease," said Christine Weigand,  UNICEF Representative in Armenia. "In Armenia, we support the  Ministry of Health with necessary capacity building of healthcare  professionals on childhood immunization, providing support in  strengthening cold chain and technical equipment from the national  level to ambulatories, and working through regional parental  education centers to support present and expecting parents with  evidence-based information on vaccines."

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world, spread  when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. The virus  remains active and contagious in the air or on infected surfaces for  up to 2 hours. Any non-immune person can become infected. A prominent  rash is the most visible symptom, while complications can include  blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhea and related dehydration, ear  infections and pneumonia.

Measles has a devastating effect on children's health, with young  children most at risk of severe complications. High rates of  hospitalization and long-lasting weakening of children's immune  systems make children more vulnerable to other infectious diseases.  More than half of those who contracted measles in the WHO European  Region in 2023 were hospitalized, demonstrating the severe burden on  individuals, families and health care systems.

Measles cases are rising globally. In 2023, there were over 300,000  cases of measles worldwide and the numbers reported so far in 2024  indicate the total for the year will match or exceed the total in  2023.  Importations of the virus between countries and continents  occurs regularly, and outbreaks of this highly infectious disease  will occur wherever the virus finds pockets of un- or  under-vaccinated people.

UNICEF Armenia has teamed up with the Ministry of Health and the  National Center for Disease Control and Prevention to implement a  brief public activation starting in August 2024, ahead of the  academic year on 1 September, to call upon parents to vaccinate their  children who are due to receive their first or second dose of measles  vaccination. The campaign will include in person engagement at Dalma  Mall, complemented by digital activation through social media. For  more information on measles visit: MMR Vaccine page.

Ministry of Health and UNICEF call upon all parents to take their  children eligible to receive measles vaccination to their local  polyclinic to get their life saving dose.