Sri Lanka begins MMR Supplementary Immunization Activity (SIA) due to rise in measles
Last month, Sri Lanka health officials reported an increase in measles cases in the country, a few years after the World Health Organization (WHO) measles and rubella elimination, one of the first countries in Southeast Asia to achieve this.
On December 28, 2023, Health Secretary Dr. Palitha Mahipala said that over 700 cases of measles had been reported since May 2023.
The cases have been mostly reported from the following districts—Colombo District, Gampaha, Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Kandy, Jaffna, Kurunegala, and Ampara, Mahipala notes.
This surge in measles prompted a MMR Supplementary Immunization Activity (SIA) today in in selected nine high-risk health districts.
The targeted people in this vaccination campaign are:
All children in the age group of completed 6 months and up to 9 months of age by 6th January 2024
Children eligible are those born between 7th April 2023 to 5th July 2023 including on those two dates.
Supplementary Immunization of MMR vaccination should be considered as an additional vaccination dose and due routine MMR vaccination should be given to all children who have received SIA-MMR vaccination, on completion of 9 months and 3 years of age.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness. The virus is transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Measles virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area.
Illness onset (high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes) begins a week or two after someone is exposed. A few days later, the telltale rash breaks out as flat, red spots, usually on the face first and then spreading down the neck and trunk to the rest of the body. A person is contagious about four days before the rash appears to four days after. People with measles should stay home from work or school during that period.
The best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of measles-containing vaccine, which is primarily administered as the combination MMR vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine are highly effective at preventing measles, however even vaccinated people can occasionally become infected.