A WHO Disease Outbreak News post provides a situation update for Tunisia – up to Apr 30 there had been more than 3,100 suspected measles cases from the governates of Kasserine and Sfax; also, to a lesser extent, in Kairouan, Tunis, Sousse and Nabeul. Routine measles vaccinations were administered to infants at 12mo, however in view of the outbreak, the age limit has now been lowered to 6 months of age. The WHO considers the risk of spread within the region to be moderate due to high levels of cross-border travel between Tunisia and Algeria. The agency’s African region weekly bulletin provides details on measles cases in Ethiopia, Guinea (10 epidemic areas) and Angola (Lunda Sul and Moxico provinces, but now said to be under control), Mali (recent increases in Babamba and Koutiala health districts) and Uganda (rural areas most affected). In a separate news article, six of the 48 measles cases reported to date this year in Reunion stemmed from two doctors who were infected with the virus and worked at a hospital in Saint-Denis. In 2018 Reunion reported a total of four measles cases.
The WHO’s report for the Western Pacific provides a summary of the situation in our region, while a more recent update from New Zealand notes that Auckland’s infection count now sits at 53.
In Singapore, this year has seen a 3-fold increase in cases over the same four month period in 2018. Other regional information comes from Hong Kong and in a release from Taiwan’s CDC (computer-translated).
And an ECDC update for the European region states that 11 countries have ‘ongoing or new outbreaks: Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. Most of the cases were reported from Romania (1 027), France (852), Poland (554), Lithuania (569) and Italy (557). In 2019, five deaths were reported in the EU in Romania (4) and France (1).’ From an agency infographic, ‘most EU/EEA cases are in teenagers and adults’. More details are provided in the Communicable Disease Threats Report, May 5-11.
Advice for travellers
Measles occurs in developing and developed countries and unvaccinated travellers are at particular risk, both in transit and during their stay. In general the infection is relatively benign, but complications can result in severe illness or death. Travelvax Australia recommends travellers check their immunisation status for measles and other childhood diseases such as diphtheria, whooping cough (pertussis) and mumps at least 6 weeks before departure. Read more about measles.
Before you travel, call Travelvax Australia’s telephone advisory service on 1300 360 164 (toll-free from landlines) for country-specific advice and information. You can also make an appointment at your nearest Travelvax clinic to obtain vaccinations, medication to prevent or treat illness, and accessories for your journey.