The Health Ministry’s immunization campaign that is currently underway in the Central Division is focused on children from the age of 6 months to 5 years and those between 19 to 39 years of age.

The Health Ministry’s immunization campaign that is currently underway in the Central Division is focused on children from six months to five years.

The campaign is also focused on those between 19 to 39 years of age.

Head of Health Protection, Dr Aalisha Sahukhan says this group of Fijians are most at risk of contracting measles.

“In the Central division, we are saying that anybody who is from the ages of six months to five years or children from the ages of six months to five years can get vaccinated. As well as adults who were born between 1980 to the year 2000. So this is 19-39 years old and then for the rest of the country which includes Central Division we are also asking parents to check whether children have received their doses of the measles vaccine according to the national immunization program. 

Dr Sahukhan says phase two of the campaign rolled out yesterday and they’re trying to make it easy for the public by setting up immunization posts around Suva.

“Also we know looking at the history of our immunization program in Fiji. People who were born in the 1980s and 1990s may not have gotten their dose of the vaccine because our coverage was quite low back then. For people born before 1980s, we know the vaccine was first introduced in Fiji in 1982 so people born before that time were most likely exposed to the virus already and would have gotten measles. Once you get measles once – you will not get it again. You have lifelong immunity.”

Close to 100,000 people were vaccinated during phase one of the campaign.

This includes over 20,000 people in the outbreak area of Serua/Namosi.