Question

how we can tackle this measles outbreak problem. (

Answer 1

Measles is a contagious virus which can spread easily through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs and can also be transmitted by direct contact with the nose or mouth of an infected person.

Measles outbreak can be tackled by providing vaccines to all categories of people. One can stay away from measles by having the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. If MMR vaccine is not suitable for a certain category of people, then a treatment called human normal immunoglobulin (HNIG) can be used if somebody is at immediate risk of catching measles.

One dose of MMR vaccine is usually given to a child at the age of 12-13 months old. A second dose is given at 3 years and 4 months. Adults and children can be vaccinated at any point if they have not been vaccinated before.

HNIG is a special treatment that can give short-term but immediate protection against measles. It can be ideally given within 6 days of exposure to infected people.

We can stop spreading of measles to others by following some simple things. If a person already has measles, it's highly important to reduce the risk of spreading the infection to other people. He/she should avoid work or school for at least 4 days from the day of catching measles. One should avoid contact with people while he/she is ill.

There are no other options to stop measles outbreak than vaccination. So a country needs to vaccinate all its citizens and should make awareness programs to inform people how to stay safe and healthy.