MONDAY, MARCH 31, 1975
WARNING ON POSSIBLE OUTBREAK OF MEASLES EPIDEMIC
ANTI-MEASLES CAMPAIGN TO BEGIN IN APRIL ******
THE DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, DR. GERALD CHOA, WARNS OF THE POSSIBILITY OF AN OUTBREAK OF MEASLES EPIDEMIC LATER THIS YEAR OR IN EARLY 1976.
HOWEVER, HE SAYS THIS CAN EASILY BE AVOIDED IF PARENTS WOULD BRING THEIR CHILDREN TO A GOVERNMENT MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH CENTRE, AN OUT-PATIENT CLINIC OR AN INOCULATION POST FOR VACCINATION.
DR. CHOA MADE HIS APPEAL TODAY AS THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT WAS ABOUT TO LAUNCH AN INTENSIFIED ANTI-MEASLES CAMPAIGN IN APRIL AND MAY.
THE DIRECTOR EXPLAINED THAT MEASLES IS A HIGHLY INFECTIOUS DISEASE AFFECTING MOSTLY CHILDREN UNDER FIVE YEARS OF AGE.
ALTHOUGH IT IS SELDOM FATAL, THE COMPLICATIONS OF THE INFECTION, SUCH AS BRONCHO-PNEUMONIA OR ENCEPHALITIS, OFTEN LEAD TO DEATH.
THIS DISEASE, DR. CHOA SAID, DISPLAYED A DISTINCT BIENNIAL PATTERN, OCCURING IN AN EPIDEMIC FORM EVERY ALTERNATE WINTER/SPRING.
WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF MASS VACCINATION AGAINST MEASLES SINCE 1967, THERE HAS BEEN A MARKED DECREASE IN MEASLES INCIDENCE.
THE GREATEST NUMBER OF DEATHS CAUSED BY MEASLES WAS RECORDED
IN 1967 WHEN 654 CHILDREN FELL VICTIMS TO THE DISEASE..
THE DEATH TOLL DROPPED TO FOUR IN 1971, BUT LAST YEAR IT ROSE AGAIN TO 53 FOLLOWING THE OUTBREAK OF A SMALL-SCALE EPIDEMIC IN LATE 1973 AND EARLY 1974.
THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS RECENTLY CONDUCTED A SURVEY ON MEASLES VACCINATION, WHICH SHOWS THAT 41 PER CENT OF THE CHILDREN UNDER FIVE YEARS HAVE BEEN VACCINATED.
ALTHOUGH THIS COMPARES FAVOURABLY WITH THE 17 PER CENT IN THE PREVIOUS SURVEY IN 1960, THE HERD IMMUNITY IS STILL TOO LOW TO BE ABLE TO PREVENT AN EPIDEMIC.
THE SURVEY SHOWS THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF CHILDREN REMAINS SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE DISEASE, THE MAIN REASONS GIVEN FOR THE NON- ACCEPTANCE OF VACCINATION BEING PARENTS TOO BUSY AND SUPERSTITION*
/SOME PARENTS,
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