Health

Measles immunization moves to other divisions

December 13, 2019 12:51 pm

Team Tailevu taking the measles vaccine to reach communities [Source: Health Ministry]

The Health Ministry has today begun measles immunization in the Western and Eastern Divisions.

Since the outbreak, last month, around 200,000 Fijians have been immunised against the disease.

The vaccination campaign will start in the Northern Division on Monday.

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The national campaign will continue to target people who are most at risk of being infected by measles and spreading the disease.


Target groups are:

• All children aged 6 months to 5 years

• All people born between 1980 and 2000 (19 to 39-year-olds)

• Any child in Fiji who has not received 2 doses of a measles vaccine according to the national immunisation schedule.

• Any child in Fiji aged 12 and 18 months in Fiji who are due their routine measles immunisation according to the national immunisation schedule

• Any person in Fiji travelling overseas (evidence of travel must be provided i.e. a travel itinerary or ticket)

• All health care workers

• All airport and port-of-entry workers, and hotel staff

The only exceptions are pregnant women, children under the age of 6 months, those with compromised immune systems (including those on immunosuppressive medication/treatment), and those with a known allergy to the vaccine.

People aged 40 and over are not a target group.

They are likely to have had measles as a child (before the vaccine was introduced) and therefore have life-long immunity.

Immunisation for target groups will be available at all health centres and nursing stations. Teams will also do house visitations.