All suspected cases of measles to be reported within 30 days – Health Ministry -as efforts made to ramp-up tactical response

Jan 13, 2019 News

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Guyana is not taking the threat of measles lightly. In fact, the Ministry has engaged a tactical response which targets some specific locales which are at greater threat.
While Guyana has not recorded any case of measles it has been on alert given an outbreak of measles in neighbouring territory Venezuela which was first reported in 2018.
Measles like any other vaccine preventable disease is a national notifiable condition and should be reported to Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, within 24 hours of suspicion. According to Acting Maternal and Child Health [MCH] Officer, Dr. Oneka Scott, “The MCH unit is also prepared to give support wherever needed.”
However, all public and private physicians, medex and nurses are on the alert for the symptoms of the disease and have been advised that all suspected cases are to be investigated immediately and followed up for 30 days.
Moreover, the Ministry has been proactive to guard against possible imported cases.
In its deliberate efforts, the Ministry has been zeroing on five vulnerable areas including Barima/Waini (Region 1); Pomeroon/Supenaam (Region Two); Cuyuni/Mazaruni Potaro/Siparuni (Region Eight) and Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo (Region Nine). There are some 2,000 Venezuelan migrants currently living in these areas.
Recognising the possibility of imported cases as a real threat, the Ministry since April 2018 collaborated with its technical partner, the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation [PAHO/WHO], to craft a response plan to safeguard the population.
The tactical response include mop-up and catch-up vaccination campaigns to target the vulnerable areas, the vaccination of health staff, armed forces, miners, teachers and tourism industry personnel.

Efforts are also being made to educate public health staff across the country on signs and symptoms of measles, procurement of additional vaccines, syringes and cold storage equipment.
Further, the Ministry has engaged national coordination activities with the armed forces, immigration authorities, non-governmental organisations [NGOs] and other international organisations as it moves to boost its counter-measures.
Dr. Scott, said, “This response plan continues to include further preparation of local health facilities for the management of any suspected case of measles presenting with rash and fever and either cough, conjunctivitis or runny nose.”
The Ministry is therefore reminding all mothers and parents to ensure that their children get their Measles, Mumps and Rubella [MMR] since the threat of measles is an ongoing one by virtue of it still being active in Venezuela.
This, according to information out of the Ministry, has placed the health of children and others at great risk. But according to Dr. Scott, adults too must be safeguarded with vaccination.
Recently PAHO/WHO’s representative in Jamaica, Dr. Karen Lewis-Bell, urged health officials to be on the lookout for travellers afflicted with cough, runny nose and conjunctivitis since these are some symptoms of measles. Other symptoms include high fever, watery eye, and small white spots on the cheek.
Ignoring the signs and symptoms can result in infection of middle ears which can lead to hearing loss, pneumonia [infection of lungs], diarrhoea leading to dehydration, inflammation of the brain leading to seizures, mental retardation, blindness and death.
While measles is highly contagious, it is nevertheless a preventable disease and can be eliminated by vaccination, a WHO document explained.
It said between 2000 and 2015 the global incidence of measles slumped by 75 percent, declining from 146 to 35 per million population. “In 2015 there were an estimated 134,200 measles deaths globally representing a 79 per cent decline since 2000,” the WHO position paper said.
Eradication of measles is biologically, technically and operationally feasible by strengthening immunisation services, according to a WHO panel. The World Health Assembly [WHA], an arm of the global health body, has targeted measles elimination in at least five of the six WHO Regions by 2020.
Measles occurs predominantly in areas with low vaccination rates, particularly in the developing world. Guyana’s vaccination rate is some 95 percent which explains why the disease is absent among nationals in all 10 Regions of the country.
The WHO Global Vaccine Action Plan for 2012–2020 has established the target of measles and rubella elimination in at least five WHO Regions by 2020 and has in fact established goals to eliminate measles wherever possible even before.
The WHO defines elimination as the absence of endemic measles transmission in a defined geographical area, in this case all countries in a WHO Region, for up to 12 months in the presence of a well-performing surveillance system.
To confirm elimination, there are three essential criteria: interruption of endemic measles virus transmission for a period of at least 36 months from the last known endemic case in the presence of a high-quality surveillance system that is sensitive and specific enough to detect imported and import-related cases and genotyping evidence that support interruption.
Guyana is geographically located in the Region of the Americas which achieved the elimination of endemic measles transmission in 2002.
Like other countries in the Region, Guyana has withstood outbreaks for more than a decade and a half notwithstanding challenges in other parts of the world. The elimination of measles brings additional benefits through strengthening health systems and better delivery of other vaccines including rubella.
“Measles will tell us quickly if we are off track, direct our efforts towards elimination and confirm our arrival if we allow its epidemiology to be our teacher,” an online article advises.

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