Officials move to stem measles outbreak in Alor

Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Health officials scrambled on Wednesday to provide vaccinations and food for over 200 toddlers and children in Alor, East Nusa Tenggara, in a bid to stem a measles outbreak that has already killed at least 26 children.

"We are conducting a mass vaccination for children in Mataru, Taman Mataru and Kamafui (villages)," local health office head Paul S. Manumpil told The Jakarta Post.

"There are four children who are in critical condition. However, with the vaccinations and additional food, I hope they will recover very soon," said Paul.

The measles outbreak has killed 26 six children under the age of five over the past two weeks. More than 200 others are still being treated.

Paul said the toddlers and children affected by the outbreak had never received a measles vaccination and thus had no immunity against the disease.

"The villages are located in a mountainous area of Mataru where there are no public health services. They have very little access to health services," said Paul.

He also said local health officials did not carry out measles vaccination programs in the remote villages because of a lack of funds.

Paul attributed the death of the 26 children over the past two weeks to the late arrival of medical help at the difficult to reach villages.

"They were almost out of reach. We had go through mountains and the roads are not easy to pass," he said.

He called on the central government and regional administrations to increase their budgets for vaccination programs in remote areas throughout the country in order to prevent similar outbreaks in the future.

"The geographical situation in Alor is completely different from Sumba or Timor. We cannot work with the same budget given to the other two districts," said Paul.

He said the government concentrated its health budget on Sumba and Timor. "Meanwhile, Alor has more difficult geographical conditions. The mountainous terrain makes it difficult to reach remote villages."

The measles outbreak in Alor began in October in the villages of East Mataru, Taman Mataru and Kamafui, all of which have been isolate.

Measles, also called rubeola, is most readily identified by its typical skin rash. It is highly contagious and caused by the morbilivirus.

The disease is most common among children but also is seen in non-immunized people of any age.

Symptoms include runny nose, red eyes, hacking cough and a fever of about 40.6 degrees Celsius.

Measles can be prevented by a vaccine that can be given before or within three days after exposure to the disease.

In most children, the vaccine is given as part of their mumps- measles-rubella immunization program at the age of 15 months and at 11 years to 12 years.