Government aims to combine high-quality surveillance and public health promotion with a strong childhood immunisation programme to prevent any serious public health emergencies from all vaccine preventable diseases including measles, said the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, this morning, at the opening of a four-day workshop on measles surveillance in Mauritius, held at Caudan Arts Centre, Port Louis.
Dr Jagutpal recalled that measles is a highly contagious and serious disease, and that before the introduction of measles vaccine in 1963 and widespread vaccination, major epidemics occurred approximately every two to three years and measles caused an estimated 2,6 million deaths each year. He further stated that during 2000 to 2018, measles vaccination prevented an estimated 23,2 million deaths making the measles vaccine one of the best buys in public health. The most serious complications, he added, include blindness, encephalitis, an infection that causes brain swelling, severe diarrhoea and related dehydration, ear infections, or severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia.
The Health Minister dwelt on the necessity of being vaccinated against measles since unvaccinated young children are at highest risk of measles and its complications, including death. While recalling that vaccination to combat the spread of measles was introduced in Mauritius in 1982, he highlighted that the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund have noted an increase in measles cases in the year 2022.
He warned that these two organisations have indicated that the increasing number of measles cases worldwide is a worrying sign of a heightened risk for the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases and could trigger larger outbreaks, particularly of measles affecting millions of children in 2022.
"Pandemic-related disruptions, increasing inequalities in access to vaccines, and the diversion of resources from routine immunisation since the COVID-19 pandemic have been leaving too many children without protection against vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles", he deplored. As regards Mauritius, he reassured that since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health and Wellness has ensured that there was no disruption in health services delivery, including immunisation services.
He expressed satisfaction that the country has always targeted and successfully achieved measles vaccination coverage rates of more than 90%, essential in maintaining herd immunity. However, he insisted that the 10% gap needs to be identified adding that vaccination delivery services need to be improved.
"Mauritius recorded its last measles outbreak was in 2018 during which 1 481 measles cases with four deaths were registered. During those times of urgency, my Ministry resorted to Supplementary Immunisation Activity with a strategy to Reach Every Child, reviewed the vaccination age for the second dose of MMR to 17 months and increased measles sensitisation and communication campaigns", he said.
Dr Jagutpal, however, observed that with international travel and Mauritius being a premier tourist destination, there is a real risk of measles resurfacing in the country. Hence, the need for a robust high-quality surveillance system and an immediate requirement to review and strengthen our existing measles surveillance system, he pointed out.
Also present, the Programme Management Officer at the WHO, Mr Ajoy Nundoochan, indicated that although no cases of measles have been reported since 2009, except during the 2018 outbreak, the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation is repeatedly warning that measles elimination still remains greatly under threat. The disease has resurged in a number of countries that had achieved or were close to achieving elimination based on current trends of measles vaccination coverage, he said.
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He observed that 20 African countries have reported measles outbreaks in the first quarter of 2022 and that almost 17 500 cases of measles were recorded in the African region between January and March 2022, which represents 400% increase compared to the same period in 2021.
Mr Nundoochan dwelt on the need for a reinforcement of preventive measures to reduce the risk of a measles outbreak in the future. He highlighted that the WHO will continue to strengthen laboratory surveillance network to ensure early detection of measles and mitigate international spread of the measles virus.
