The National Institute of Public Health has confirmed 151 cases of measles between April 16 and August 30, covering the first five months of this year.
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According to data from the National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo, more than 95 percent of those affected had not been vaccinated. This figure highlights once again the importance of immunizing children as a protective measure against the disease.
However, vaccination data show that parents continue to show interest in immunizing their children. From January to August, a total of 8,540 children were vaccinated.
Xhevrie Canolli, head of vaccination at the Main Family Medicine Center, told KosovaPress that 2,500 of them were between the ages of 1 and 5, 2,900 were between 5 and 7, while 3,140 were first-grade students.
According to Canolli, 2,500 children in the 1-to-5 age group were vaccinated, as were 2,900 children in the 5-to-7 age group, including preschool children and those who will enroll in first grade this year, while 3,140 first-grade students received the second dose of the measles vaccine. The first dose is given at the age of one.
The head of vaccination emphasized that immunization is the safest and most effective way to curb the further spread of measles in the country.
She warned that this infectious disease can cause serious complications, including pneumonia, otitis, which can lead to permanent hearing loss, as well as encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain. In severe cases, these consequences can be permanent or result in death.
For this reason, Canolli said that the benefits of vaccination are far greater than the risk of possible side effects.
According to her, side effects after vaccination are usually mild. They may include a low-grade fever, fatigue, loss of appetite and lethargy. Mild swelling and redness may also appear at the injection site, disappearing within one to two days.
Canolli urged parents and guardians to check their children’s vaccination records and, if the measles vaccine is missing, take them as soon as possible to the nearest family medicine center.
She called on citizens not to be influenced by misinformation and conspiracy theories about side effects that have not been scientifically proven.
The National Institute of Public Health has also issued the same appeal, stressing that vaccination provides the best protection against measles.
