Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen, on Wednesday, announced that efforts were underway to compile a list to ensure that all Maldivian children below the age of 18 are vaccinated.
Speaking at a press conference concerning the recent cases of measles, the minister stated that unvaccinated children would be identified during the process of compiling the list and that required dosages would be administered to them.
Minister Ameen disclosed that the ministry had already collected information from 48 islands and that information from the remaining inhabited islands would be accumulated by the end of the week.
While Maldives was declared measles-free by World Health Organization (WHO) in April 2017, the Health Protection Agency, on January 11, confirmed that a 3-year-old child tested positive for measles.
Two days later on January 13, the ministry confirmed that a second case, that of a 30-year old man, had surfaced. On Tuesday, the health agency reported a third case.
In response, the government initiated a vaccination campaign against the outbreak, specifically targeting unvaccinated individuals and those who did not receive the second dose of the vaccine. The campaign also includes awareness programmes catering to expatriates residing in the country.
The health minister revealed that vaccines were administered to over 1,200 individuals including healthcare workers in the greater Male' region, the three confirmed to have measles, and people who came into contact with the infected.
The aforementioned efforts are being led by a task force consisting of leading members of all institutions relevant to the measles outbreak.
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