Azerbaijanis up to 40 years of age advised to get measles vaccine

The Ministry of Health of Azerbaijan has recommended that all residents of the country up to 40 years of age get vaccinated against measles, despite the fact there is no epidemic in the country.

Afag Aliyeva, an employee of the Republican Centre for Hygiene and Epidemiology, told Lent.az that the vaccination will be free for the population until the end of April.

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Aliyeva says children in Azerbaijan are regularly vaccinated against measles. The last vaccination campaign for adults was conducted back in 2013, which resulted in the elimination of the disease. However, in 2018 it reappeared due to a regional outbreak.

The chief paediatrician of the republic, Nasib Quliyev, reported that 85 people fell ill with measles between January and April 2019.

Aliyeva says that 80% of measles cases in Azerbaijan since November last year have been adults between 20 and 40 years old who have not been vaccinated in childhood.

There are also cases of people who were vaccinated very long ago, but for whom the effect of the vaccine has weakened over time.

Over the past six weeks, about 100,000 people were vaccinated against measles and rubella.

Aliyeva advises anyone who has not yet received the vaccine and has not had measles in the past to get vaccinated by the end of April.

District clinics are able to administer the vaccine.