Health

Ministry monitors measles outbreak in the region

October 24, 2019 4:50 pm

The Fiji Ministry of Health is closely monitoring the outbreaks of measles in the region.

There is an ongoing outbreak in New Zealand followed by recent outbreaks declared for Samoa and Tonga.

The Ministry says measles is rare in Fiji due to an effective immunization program.

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However, outbreaks around the world, including in neighboring countries, puts Fiji at risk of having travel-related cases of measles.

In response to the outbreaks in the region, the Ministry has made measles vaccine available for free to Fijians travelling overseas.

Fijians travelling overseas need to get vaccinated at least two weeks in advance of travel.

The Ministry will soon offer free measles vaccine to people that are at higher risk of exposure to those infected with measles.

This includes airport and airline workers, hotel workers, and healthcare workers.

The Ministry says extra effort is also being put into vaccinating children who have missed out on their scheduled measles vaccine.

Fijians have been urged to help the Ministry in preventing measles coming to Fiji and to ensure they are vaccinated before travelling overseas, especially to New Zealand, Samoa, or Tonga.