Measles Imported to Armenia from Abroad, Unvaccinated Individuals at Risk: Health Ministry Representative

There are no local cases of measles in Armenia; the latest recorded infections have been "imported" from abroad, and unvaccinated individuals are among those infected. This was stated in an interview with Sputnik Armenia by Svetlana Grigoryan, head of the Immunoprophylaxis and Controllable Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Department at the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of March 4, there have been 12 laboratory-confirmed cases of measles reported in the Republic of Armenia.

"Since 2007, Armenia has been considered a country that has overcome measles, meaning local cases are not recorded due to high vaccination coverage. However, this is not 100 percent. When an unvaccinated person travels abroad for vacation or other reasons, they can get infected and return, spreading the virus among unvaccinated individuals here," Grigoryan said.

According to her, all 12 laboratory-confirmed cases of measles involved individuals who had not been vaccinated against the disease. It is currently unclear from which country the epidemic has been imported to Armenia, but Grigoryan indicated that efforts are underway to determine the country or countries responsible for the importation.

She also noted that the disease is primarily spreading among children at this time, but there are also adults among those infected. The primary targets are unvaccinated or under-vaccinated individuals.

In the current situation, Grigoryan assesses that, even when there are no local cases, a single case can be considered an outbreak.

The Ministry of Health reminds that measles vaccinations are included in the national vaccination calendar for children at the ages of 1 and 4-6. Additionally, those who have been in contact with measles patients and who have not received two doses of the measles vaccine are also subject to vaccination.

Measles is an acute viral disease characterized by highly contagious properties, with symptoms including rash, dry cough, and fever. The infection spreads through the air.