Child dies of measles in Mongolia's capital

Ulan Bator, May 13 (IANS) A four-month-old baby died from measles in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, on Tuesday, according to the country's National Centre for Communicable Diseases (NCCD).

The child was admitted to the centre on Monday in critical condition but succumbed to the disease on Tuesday despite medical treatment, the NCCD said in a statement.

In view of this, the NCCD urged parents to pay attention to the symptoms of measles at an early stage among their children and seek emergency medical care immediately, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the World Health Organisation, Measles is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted by respiratory droplets and direct contact. Measles spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It can cause severe disease, complications, and even death.

Measles can affect anyone but is most common in children.

Measles infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body.

Any non-immune person (not vaccinated or vaccinated but did not develop immunity) can become infected. Unvaccinated young children and pregnant women are at highest risk of severe measles complications.

Being vaccinated is the best way to prevent getting sick with measles or spreading it to other people. The vaccine is safe and helps your body fight off the virus.

Before the introduction of measles vaccine in 1963 and widespread vaccination, major epidemics occurred approximately every two to three years and caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.

An estimated 107,500 people died from measles in 2023 – mostly children under the age of five years, despite the availability of a safe and cost-effective vaccines.

In 2023 as many as 74 per cent of children received both doses of the measles vaccine, and about 83 per cent of the world's children received one dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday.

Two doses of the vaccine are recommended to ensure immunity and prevent outbreaks, as not all children develop immunity from the first dose.

--IANS

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