Measles Situation In Russia Under Control Amid Outbreak In Europe - Watchdog

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2018) The Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said on Thursday that the measles situation in the country was under control amid a severe outbreak of this disease in Europe.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that over 41,000 children and adults in Europe had been infected with the measles virus within the first half of 2018, a figure which exceeds each annual total for this decade.

"The measles situation in Russia is under control. The number of people who contracted measles in Russia this year is 1,300 per 100,000 people, which is 2.5 times lower than the number of measles cases in the year when the morbidity rate was the highest over the past decade (the number of cases in 2014 stood at 3,230 per 100,000 people)," Rospotrebnadzor said in a statement.

The watchdog is monitoring the situation in Russia. According to Rospotrebnadzor, the majority of measles cases were caused by the viruses brought to Russia stem from the genotype currently spread in Europe.

Rospotrebnadzor recalled that the measles situation in the European countries was alarming due to the decreasing vaccination rate. The watchdog advised Russians, who have not been vaccinated or have not had measles, to get a vaccine before visiting France, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia or Ukraine.

In Russia, Rospotrebnadzor is engaged in campaigns to vaccinate the population to prevent the spread of the disease.

According to WHO, at least 37 people have died from measles this year in Europe, with the highest number of measles-related deaths (14 cases) registered in Serbia. Ukraine has been one of the hardest hit countries, with more than 23,000 people affected over the first six months.

Measles is a highly contagious virus. People can get measles just by being in the same room with an infected person.