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.

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.

The post Vaccination remains the most effective protection: more than 8,000 children immunized against measles in eight months appeared first on Albeu.com.

The number of measles cases in the United States has reached a new historic peak over the last three and a half decades, according to the latest reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Statistics show that by the end of June, health authorities had verified 2,318 infections, surpassing the 2,289 cases recorded last year, when two unimmunized minors lost their lives to the disease.

This escalation of infections coincides with a period where vaccine skepticism has deepened significantly in the U.S., resulting in declining immunization rates. American experts advise administering two doses of the vaccine for the one-to-six age group, which provide 97% protection against the pathogen.

In November, a special committee will examine whether the United States risks losing its certification as a country that has eliminated measles, a status Canada lost a year ago. As the BBC explains, this classification is lost after a period of at least one year with continuous transmission of the same viral variant.

Data reveals that within the last 18 months, the U.S. has documented more infections than during the previous 25 years combined.

Last year, an outbreak in a Mennonite community in Texas proved fatal for two unvaccinated children, as well as for an unimmunized adult in the neighboring state of New Mexico.

In just the past month, Virginia and Pennsylvania have announced fresh outbreaks of the disease, while Utah continues to battle a significant number of cases originating from last year. About 45 states have reported infection data.

The measles virus, distinguished by a characteristic skin rash, affected millions of children every year before the vaccine was discovered. It is characterized by a high level of contagiousness and can be deadly. Some of those infected may experience long-term consequences, including encephalitis and immune amnesia, which resets the body’s defense system to its initial stage, making the organism more vulnerable to future infections.

The post United States Records Highest Measles Infection Rate in 35 Years, with Over 2,300 Cases appeared first on Albeu.com.