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Nine individuals tested positive for measles so far: HPA

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has revealed nine individuals have been found positive for measles since the beginning of January.

World Health organisation (WHO) declared Maldives as a measles free country in 2017. The first case of measles in the country in two years was found on January 9.

Following the spread of measles, the health ministry has been taking necessary measures to eradicate the disease. HPA, along with the Ministry of Health, has established measles screening facilities in Hulhumale'.

HPA has announced an additional dose of measles vaccine is now being given to children aged between 6 and 18 months.
The agency said efforts to control the outbreak of measles in Maldives include arranging mechanisms to screen for the disease and providing vaccination. HPA has advised early checkups if small spots are seen on the body along with fever.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. Signs and symptoms of the virus appear around 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus, and include fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, inflamed eyes and a skin rash made up of large, flat blotches that often flow into one another. Although quite common, measles can almost always be prevented with a vaccine.