(Stock Photo)
Contrary to a report carried in Loop News on Friday, March 1, the public is advised that Barbados is NOT experiencing an outbreak of measles.
According to Senior Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Karen Broome, Barbados has not documented a case of measles since 1990.
Speaking on a recent panel at the Cave Hill Wesleyan Man Talk Discussion, the Director of PAREDOS, Ms. Sheila Stuart, is quoted as saying: “The Ministry of Health sent four inspectors to check those green cards for immunization purposes because we have a measles outbreak in Barbados.”
The facts are that the Ministry is conducting a review of vaccine records of children in nurseries and day care centres throughout the island to monitor the vaccination status of children in this age group to make sure that the vaccination of children in these institutions is up-to-date, in order to prevent an outbreak.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness advises that measles can be prevented once children receive two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine which in Barbados is administered at ages 12 months and 18 months. If your child has not been vaccinated, you are advised to contact your health care provider immediately.
Outbreaks of measles continue to be reported in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and the Americas.