Family physician from Moldovan capital falls ill with measles
16:15 | 30.01.2019 Category: Social
Chisinau, 30 January /MOLDPRES/ - A family physician from the Family Physicians’ Centre of Chisinau’s Ciocana district has fallen ill with measles. Thus, there are three registered cases of measles since early 2019.
A physician epidemiologist of the National Agency for Public Health (ANSP), Laura Turcan, has told MOLDPRES that the 40-year-old physician had got sick at work. The diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory samples today.
According to data by ANSP, the first case of 2019 was recorded in a child from Chisinau; the second one was confirmed in an 18-years-old person from the Bender city. A suspect case, registered in a seven-year-old child from the southern Ceadar-Lunga district, is under investigation.
As many as 341 confirmed cases of measles were registered in Moldova in 2018. A significant increase in the number of measles cases was recorded in last August, with 239 confirmed cases registered. The areas hit by measles since 1 August 2018 till present are: Ceadar-Lunga - 164 cases, Vulcanesti and Soroca – 35 cases each, Drochia - 21, Ungheni - 20, Chisinau - 20, Taraclia - 12, Cahul and Cantemir - 10 cases each, Ocnita – seven cases, Nisporeni - four, Glodeni - three, Hancesti, Rascani and Tiraspol – one case each.
A yellow code of risk of measles’ spread is maintained throughout Moldova.
Physicians epidemiologists remind to residents that measles is an extremely contagious disease and is spreading quickly. The first sign of the infection is high fever, which is maintained 1-7 days. Generalized eruptions appear 3-4 days after the fever starts. Pneumonia is the most frequent cause of death in measles.
Measles can be prevented only through vaccination. In Moldova, the vaccination is made with combined vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella (ROR) at the ages of one year, 6-7 years, 14-15 years. Vaccination is free of charge for all eligible persons.