Limbourg (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – With 24 measles infections in Limburg, mostly in children under 10, the Department of Care and CLBs urge immediate vaccination to curb the outbreak.
The Department of Care and the Student Guidance Centers (CLBs) are initiating a measles vaccination campaign following an urgent consultation. TV Limburg reported this, and VRT NWS verified the information.
The number of infections in Limbourg has risen to 24 in the last three weeks. Most of the patients are under ten years old. Infected families will be contacted by the CLBs and the Department, who also hope to offer additional immunization opportunities in schools.
“Most infections occur in children up to and including 10 years of age,”
says Joris Moonens of the Department of Healthcare.
“The infections mainly occur in families where family members infect each other,”
Moonens continues. At the moment you can’t really speak of a regional spread, but the infections are in a few family clusters.”
According to the Department of Health, families where no one has been vaccinated are affected. “Those families are being specifically addressed,” says Moonens.
“In addition, we are looking together with the CLBs to see if we can organize additional vaccination moments at certain schools. The CLBs have a good view of which schools are struggling with a lower vaccination rate. We want to provide additional moments in those schools.”
It has long been recognized that Limbourg children’s immunization rates are far from ideal. Since 2019, it has been declining, according to the Vrij CLB, which keeps track of vaccination rates for 70% of Limbourg children.
For the first time in two years, the measles vaccination rate dropped below the 95 percent threshold.
Infected Limoburgers should not rush to the family doctor.
It says anyone who is infected is asked to definitely stay home. It is a very contagious disease that can be passed on very quickly to unvaccinated people.
They see that most infections are now also concentrated in unvaccinated families. The best protection remains vaccination.
Moonens emphasizes that it is not a harmless disease. The majority of the sick go through the disease without serious consequences. In a minority of cases, serious complications can occur. Think of pneumonia or encephalitis.
One should not take it lightly, especially if it can be prevented with a vaccination.
How effective is the measles vaccine in preventing the disease in Limoburg?
Measles is effectively prevented with the measles vaccine, which is usually given in two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine.
About 97% of children who receive two doses throughout childhood—typically the first between 12 and 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years—are able to avoid measles and develop long-term, perhaps lifetime immunity.
A single dose of the vaccination lowers the risk of measles by around 93 to 95%, and two doses boost protection to about 97%, which dramatically lowers the risk of infection as compared to those who have not received the vaccine.
Additionally, if administered shortly after exposure, the post-exposure immunization lowers the risk of measles transmission by around 85%.
Over the past 50 years, measles immunization has prevented millions of fatalities globally and significantly decreased measles cases and deaths.
