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HPA establishes Measles screening centre in Hulhumale

Nafaahath Ibrahim
19 January 2020, MVT 20:17
measles vaccine
Nafaahath Ibrahim
19 January 2020, MVT 20:17

Health Protection Agency (HPA) revealed on Sunday that a screening centre for Measles was established in reclaimed suburb Hulhumale.

According to the agency, the centre located in an unused preschool building near the Autism Centre to the Ministry of Education will only treat those who developed rashes along with fever.

The centre will be open daily from 0800hrs in the morning till, 2200hrs at night.

HPA urges locals who visit the centre to carry their national identity card and vaccination documents, and expatriates to bring their passport or work permit.

Further, the agency stated that further information regarding the centre will be available via hotline 7289259.

As of January 15, the Health Ministry has administered vaccines to over 1,200 individuals including healthcare workers in the greater Male' region, the four confirmed to have measles, and people who came into contact with the infected.

Although Maldives was declared measles free by the World Health Organization (WHO) in April 2017, this year on January 11, HPA 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 January 14, the health agency reported a third case. A fourth was confirmed on Saturday.

The health ministry advised any individuals who experience symptoms to seek medical assistance in their island of residence due to the highly contagious nature of the disease.

Measles is highly contagious and can spread through coughing and sneezing. While the most well-known symptom of the disease is a 'blotchy rash', other indicators include high fever, runny nose, cough, eye discharge and white spots inside the mouth. If left untreated, measles can be fatal.

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