Secondary Measles Transmission Chain Successfully Contained, Says Anahit Avanesyan

We have a local outbreak of measles, and we have succeeded in containing the secondary transmission chain. This was stated by the Minister of Health of Armenia, Anahit Avanesyan, during a public broadcast.

"The virus has been brought from abroad, and we are conducting efforts to identify possible incursions from other regions as well. In the coming days, the scope of our detection will increase. We have managed to limit the secondary chain and prevent its spread. Active anti-epidemic measures should allow us to prevent transmission," the minister said.

According to her, measles is a highly dangerous and contagious disease. It can have severe consequences for both children and adults. Deaths can occur if a patient does not receive the appropriate complete course of medication in a timely manner.

"A person vaccinated with two doses has more than a 98 percent threshold of protection. If our citizens have children who have missed vaccinations, they should contact their polyclinic and get vaccinated. The vaccines are safe and of high quality. The first dose is given at 1 year of age, and the second at 4 to 6 years. However, due to the outbreaks, we recommend administering the vaccine at age 4," she indicated.

According to Avanesyan, the number of cases and their localization suggest that this is a local outbreak: "We have a good vaccination threshold, and a community immunity threshold. The vaccination coverage for 6-year-old children was 95 percent according to 2022 data. There is a 5 percent group of children and adults who are unvaccinated and can contract the infection."