The National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo (NIPHK) said that 25 new cases of measles have been registered in Kosovo in the last week alone.
According to the National Institute of Public Health, from April 16 to August 17, 137 cases of measles were confirmed in Kosovo.
By comparison, in the period 2021-2024, only three measles cases were recorded, all imported.
According to data from this institute, the most cases were registered in Pristina, namely 47, while the NIPHK has intensified vaccination activities in the municipalities with the highest number of cases, vaccinating 276 children who had not received the MMR vaccine on time, according to the regular vaccination calendar.
"The National Institute of Public Health recommends that any person with suspected measles symptoms, such as high fever, rash or skin changes, cough, runny nose or conjunctivitis, immediately report to the nearest health institution," the announcement states, adding that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the disease.
Measles is among the most contagious diseases and is transmitted through the air.
Epidemiologist at the National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo (NIKPK), Edita Goranci, stated in the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's 5 Questions podcast that the return of the disease in Kosovo is directly related to the decline in vaccination of children with the MMR vaccine.
"When we had coverage of over 95 percent with the measles vaccine, the epidemiological situation was calm. Cases appear precisely where there are unvaccinated children," said Goranci.
Epidemiologist Goranci said that the first dose of the measles vaccine is effective in 93 percent of cases, while the second dose is effective in 97 percent.
"It is one of the safest vaccines," she emphasized.
According to her, an infected child infects about 90 percent of contacts who are not vaccinated.
"The virus spreads during speaking, coughing or sneezing, and can stay in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours," Goranci explained.
Temperature, fever, runny nose, red eyes and sore throat are the first symptoms of measles, according to her.
This disease is deadly. According to data from the World Health Organization, over 95,000 people died from measles in 2024, most of them children under the age of five, despite having a vaccine available. /Taken from Radio Free Europe
