BHB issues pointers for dealing with measles cases
The Bermuda Hospitals Board has published a guide outlining the symptoms of measles and what action to take for those who suspect they may have the disease.
The document has been produced after a second case of measles was confirmed by the Ministry of Health yesterday.
Chikezie Dean Okereke, the hospital’s chief of emergency and hyperbaric services, said: “While most patients can get through a measles infection by staying hydrated and taking fever medication such as Tylenol and Ibuprofen, the complications of measles can be extremely serious and people need to know when medical advice or hospital treatment is needed.
“In recent US outbreaks, 20 per cent of unvaccinated people who had measles were admitted to hospital. It is an extremely infectious disease. You can catch measles by walking into a room that someone infected with measles left two hours before.”
The Measles Patient Symptom Self-Assessment has been designed to help people decide when they should stay at home, and when they need to call for medical advice or emergency treatment.
Dr Okereke emphasised that even when emergency medical care is needed, no one with suspected measles should just turn up at the hospital’s Emergency Department. Patients or carers should call in advance so the department can safely attend to the patient without putting others at risk.
Dr Okereke said: “We also want to remind people that prevention is the best form of protection. History is full of stories of measles tragedies that vaccination for the most part has eradicated. We need to do all we can to stop it re-emerging as a threat to our children and families.
“On the back of the positive measles cases in Bermuda, we are encouraging masking in hospital waiting areas, and in the Emergency Department it is now a requirement.”
Dr Okereke said that vaccination remained the most effective and safest way to safeguard against measles and its complications, with a 97 per cent success rate.
According to the World Health Organisation, the vaccine has saved about 60 million lives since 2000 and is readily available in Bermuda from GPs, paediatricians and the government clinic.
It requires two jabs one month apart for the highest level of protection, but even after the first jab, protection from this disease will be vastly improved.
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