In the last week, 825 new cases of measles were reported, and the number of deaths reached nine since the beginning of the epidemic, according to INSP.
Over 800 new cases of measles – Photo Archive
A 1-year-old and 2-month-old girl, not vaccinated against measles, died after catching the disease from her sister, with symptoms suggestive of measles, according to Agerpres.
Between January 1, 2023 and March 17, 2024, 8,845 cases of measles were confirmed in our country. Last week alone, there were 825 new cases and one death. Since the beginning of the reporting period, nine deaths have been confirmed, according to INSP.
The disease has spread to 40 counties and Bucucrești, and Brașov remains the county with the most illnesses, 1,397 cases, followed by Bucharest, 1,073 cases and Mureș, 1,041 cases. Between December 6, 2023 and March 17, 2024, according to the data extracted from the RENV, 97,806 doses of MMR vaccine were used, of which 15,759 doses were used for children aged between 9 and 11 months.
Measles is a highly contagious disease and is one of the leading causes of death among children worldwide.
It is spread by sneezing or coughing and has “a contagiousness of 95%, infecting the receptive regardless of age“, warns doctor Emilian Popovici, vice-president of the Romanian Society of Epidemiology.
Because of complications, measles has a mortality rate of between 1 and 3 per thousand cases, especially among children under 5 years of age.
Vaccination is the surest way to protect ourselves. The first dose of MMR vaccine, given at 12 months of age, provides 95% protection against measles, and the second dose, given between 5 and 7 years of age, provides 99.7% protection against measles.
