The Ministry of Health is calling for the cooperation of all healthcare professionals in a special letter sent via the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) to all providers of services under the GHS (General Healthcare System).
In Cyprus, according to the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit of the Ministry, clusters of cases are being recorded, and the risk of more cases emerging is deemed very high.
The letter was sent yesterday through the GHS software, and it states:
“According to the epidemiological data of the European Region of the World Health Organization, more than 30,000 measles cases were reported in various member states during the period from January to October 2023, of which 40% concerned children aged 1-4 years and 20% adults aged 20 and above. During the same period, approximately 21,000 hospitalizations and 5 deaths were recorded.”
In Cyprus, “no cases had been recorded in the last two years, while sporadic cases from previous years were imported incidents.”
“Since the beginning of 2024 until now, clusters of domestic measles cases have been reported in Cyprus, and the likelihood of more cases emerging is high.”
It is reported that, according to information, these clusters (known to the public since the pandemic as chains of cases) concerned kindergartens and pediatric departments of hospitals, with the latest incident involving nurses who showed symptoms after hospitalizing children with measles.
In its letter, the Epidemiological Surveillance and Control of Infectious Diseases Unit states that “it is on alert to monitor the epidemiological situation regarding measles infection in our country and to provide practical recommendations to healthcare professionals, public health bodies, and the public.”
“We look forward to your close cooperation to ensure effective monitoring and intervention in the event of new measles cases appearing in our country,” the Unit states, addressing all GHS service providers.
“The disease spreads very easily in closed spaces under crowded conditions. The measles virus is transmitted by direct contact with infected respiratory secretions or airborne through respiratory droplets spread by an infected person through coughing, breathing, or sneezing. Transmission can occur four days before the rash appears up to four days after. This is a period during which the concentration of the virus in secretions is very high, and coughing, runny nose, and sneezing are more intense. The incubation period of the disease ranges from 7 to 21 days (usually 10-12 days) from exposure to the prodromal stage and 14 days from exposure to the appearance of the rash.”
Note: Those born after 1974 should have been vaccinated with two (2) doses of MMR vaccine, with a minimum interval of at least 4 weeks between doses. In cases where there is no disease history or the vaccination history is unknown, the individual is considered unvaccinated, and the administration of two vaccine doses with a minimum interval of 4 weeks is recommended.
