Ulan Bator, March 17 (IANS) Mongolia has recorded 24 new cases of measles infection over the past 24 hours, bringing the national caseload to 51, according to the country’s National Centre for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) on Monday.

According to Mongolian doctors, measles is caused by a single-stranded, enveloped RNA virus with one serotype.

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.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted by respiratory droplets and direct contact.

Common complications include fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat and inflamed eyes. The disease can be prevented by immunisation.

There is no specific treatment for measles, and most people recover within two to three weeks, Xinhua news agency reported.

It 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.

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 vaccine.

Measles is still common, particularly in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The overwhelming majority of measles deaths occur in countries with low per capita incomes or weak health infrastructures that struggle to reach all children with immunisation.

All children or adults with measles should receive two doses of vitamin A supplements, given 24 hours apart. This restores low vitamin A levels that occur even in well-nourished children. It can help prevent eye damage and blindness. Vitamin A supplements may also reduce the number of measles deaths.

–IANS

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