Belize Confirms 13 Measles Cases as Ministry Expands Surveillance

Belize now has 13 clinically diagnosed cases of measles: that’s the update provided today by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. The ministry has been tracking the presence of measles since April, when two cases were discovered in the Cayo District. Since then, surveillance efforts have been scaled up, and samples have been collected from 69 people experiencing fever and rash. Maternal and Child Health Technical Advisor for the Ministry, Dr. Natalia Beer, told our newsroom today that there were two waves of measles cases detected since the ministry started its surveillance.

Dr. Natalia Beer, Maternal & Child Health Advisor, MOHW: “We have now, to date, a total of nine laboratory confirmed cases and 17 epidemiologically linked or persons who got ill. And we know that there were contact of persons diagnosed through lab as having measles and then we just diagnosed them clinically, that they did present with all the signs and symptoms of measles. Since April 12, when we got the first two laboratory-conformed imported cases of measles, all regions, all health regions, were asked to heighten the surveillance system for fever and rash. That is, those are probably cases of measles that would need to be investigated. So the first two cases were limited to two households and out of that first two imported cases we had a total of five epidemiologically linked cases diagnosed clinically with measles. But then, 29 days after we get another positive case and again two imported cases. Only one was confirmed by lab, and the next one was clinically diagnosed. But the difference between the first wave, we call it the first wave and the second wave, is that the second one we had a larger number of community members that were exposed to the person that was ill not knowing that they had measles. Because remember the transmission goes four days before the rash and then four days after the rash. That is the contagious period.”

DR. Beer said that surveillance does have its limitations and that the best way to address the outbreak is vaccination. 

Dr. Natalia Beer, Maternal & Child Health Advisor, MOHW: “The surveillance system is built on investigating persons with fever and rash. And the rash, when a person that has measles presents with rash they already had four days that they were highly contagious but no one knows that it’s measles. So that is one of the problems that we are faced, any country faces with measles outbreak. So the bottom line is that the best protection is the Measles vaccine. So we highly recommend for persons who are unvaccinated to get vaccinated at all health facilities, countrywide, and in the private sector they have the MMR vaccine. They can access it at their provider of choice and as we said in the previous press release that if you are planning to travel and you are unvaccinated make sure you get vaccinated before leaving the country. If you come in contact with someone that has measles, or you know that they have measles, you can get a vaccine and it will still protect you to 83 percent.”

The Ministry strongly urges anyone exhibiting symptoms akin to measles to report it immediately.