KAKATA, Margibi – The Margibi County Health Team has confirmed the second outbreak of measles in the county this year, with four confirmed cases so far.

According to the county disease surveillance officer, Leroy Maximore, the outbreak is in the Firestone Rubber Plantation area and the health team is doing all it can to contain the outbreak.

He said in the first three weeks of October, the Firestone Health District has reported 15 cases of measles, of which four were confirmed positive and six negative. The rest of the results are yet to be known, pending the completion of the laboratory tests.

Maximore described the current situation as an epidemic in the county and said the county was treating it as a health emergency.

He said a team of health volunteers is currently carrying out active surveillance and those affected are undergoing medical treatment.

In March of this year, there was one death and 26 confirmed cases of measles. In April 2015, a total of 77 cases were recorded along with six deaths.

Maximore said the Firestone Health District is the epicenter of the current outbreak; there are no suspected or confirmed measles cases in the remaining three health districts. He blamed the outbreak on the natural rubber company.

“The problem we have had with the Firestone health authorities is their failure to carry out 24/7 routine vaccinations,” Maximore said. “Instead, they only do it once a week and this has made people vulnerable to contagious diseases.”

Meanwhile, the health surveillance officer is calling on partners to help provide the necessary support to enable the county’s health team to prevent future spread of the disease.

He said if nothing is done in the next few days to promptly handle the outbreak, there could be an increase in the number of cases in the area.

Maximore said between January and October of this year, the county has reported 253 cases of measles in the four health districts, with a fatality rate of 0.79 percent.

Featured photo by Julien Harneis