There is an explosion of measles among seasonal workers

STAR TARGOV

There is an explosion of measles among foreigners who arrived in Bulgaria as seasonal workers. This is reported by Dr. Dochka Mihaylova, director of the regional health inspectorate in Varna, in a letter to the general practitioners and medical institutions. Since the beginning of the year, 7 confirmed cases of measles have been reported in the country. Patients between 2 and 39 years. Two of them had two intakes of the measles vaccine, three were without data, two were non-immunized. In five of these cases there is evidence of infection from other EU countries.

According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control in Stockholm, 8 343 cases of measles have been registered in the European Union (EU) since the beginning of the year. Most of them are in France (2 380), Greece (2 075), Italy (1 715) and Romania (504). It turned out that the majority of the patients were children and adults who were not immunized against the disease. In 2018, 31 people who died of measles have also been reported, according to the letter.

A significant number of diseases also occur in other countries on the European continent: Ukraine – 18 188, Serbia – 4 784, Russia – 1 063 cases.

In connection with the tourist season, the increased flow of foreign tourists and seasonal workers in the country, as well as the visits of Bulgarian citizens to countries with an epidemic of measles, the necessary actions need to be taken to improve the surveillance of the disease, according to the letter .

On this occasion all doctors working in hospitals and outpatient clinics should pay attention to the risk of import and distribution of measles in the country. In case of suspected infection, the patient must be informed about the reporting, isolation, diagnosis, prevention and treatment. All symptomatic cases should be addressed to an infectious person, accompanied by the RHI – Varna.

Measles, also known as smallpox and blackpox, is a highly contagious acute infectious disease caused by a virus. Source is the only sick man. He sends the infection for 8 to 10 days. It is transported through the air, dripping, talking, sneezing, coughing or crying. The susceptibility to the disease is almost 100%, that is to say that all contacts who have not accumulated immunity become ill. Immersion is immortal and lifelong after immersion.

Symptoms include fever, runny nose, tear, light-headedness, cough, lack of appetite, reddening conjunctiva and others. The most characteristic among them is the rash, which first covers the face around the nose and behind the ears, and then descends to the chest and limbs.

Complications of measles from the lungs take the form of bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia, and the damage to the nervous system occurs as encephalitis and meningoencephalitis.

The only safe way to prevent measles is vaccine prophylaxis. A combined vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella is administered at 13 months and 12 years.