Two children aged 17 and 22 months who contracted measles were discharged today, while a 7-month-old infant remains hospitalized at Makarios Hospital, the Director of the Pediatric Department of the Hospital Avraam Ilias told KYPE, adding that the measles cases that have occurred so far amount to five.
"In total we had five incidents. We are concerned about community spread because the measles virus is a virus that spreads very easily. Because there is also a large portion of the population that is without a vaccine history, there is always a risk that this virus will be transmitted to other people," said Dr. Ilias.
As he mentioned, all five children have no vaccination history. The one who is 7 months old, he noted, could not get the vaccine because of his age because the first dose of the vaccine is given at the age of 12 months and the second dose follows in a few months, he noted.
He urged vaccinating unvaccinated children under 12 months of age as soon as possible to protect them from possible disease.
As Dr. Ilias explained, the initial case involved an adult who traveled abroad and transmitted it to a child, while two other children were subsequently infected.
He added that vaccination for measles is at around 80%, which is considered a low percentage, noting that "to set up a protective wall of immunity, it must exceed 95%".
There is also concern in Europe about the increase in measles cases. The Ministry of Health reports that it is alert and monitoring the epidemiological data of Cyprus and Europe.