DUSHANBE, August 6, 2009, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan will carry out measles and rubella immunization campaign amongst the children between one and 14 years old from September 28 to October 12 this, Deputy Health Minister, Ms. Saida Jobirova, announced at a roundtable meeting in Dushanbe on August 6.
According to her, the two-week campaign, which is organized by the Ministry of Health (MoH) with support from country offices of UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) in Tajikistan as well as Tajikistan’s Red Crescent Society (RCS), will cover some 2.5 million across the country.
“The UNICEF CO supports the campaign through purchasing vaccines, disposable syringes and other supplies,” Ms. Jobirova said, noting that UNICEF also carries out campaign on communication and social mobilization as well as conducts a series of vaccination awareness seminars for journalists.
The deputy minister added that the MoH also plans to vaccinate more than 1 million girls and young women aged 14 to 20 if it finds some US$900,000, necessary for purchase of vaccines.
According to Jobirova, the last measles outbreak was reported in Tajikistan in 2002-2003, when the MoH registered more than 3,000 measles cases in the country.
Measles is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and generalized, maculopapular, erythematous rash. Measles is spread through respiration (contact with fluids from an infected person”s nose and mouth, either directly or through aerosol transmission), and is highly contagious—90% of people without immunity sharing a house with an infected person will catch it. The infection has an average incubation period of 14 days (range 6–19 days) and infectivity lasts from 2–4 days prior to 2–5 days following the onset of the rash.
