Moldova registered the first case of measles in the last three years 3 years, the previous one being reported in March 2020. The patient is a 43-year-old from Chisinau who traveled abroad.

The National Agency for Public Health says that the onset was acute and the symptoms included fatigue, muscle pain and headache, followed by fever, pain when swallowing and dry cough. Later, a facial rash also appeared, with subsequent extension to the trunk and limbs. The person sought medical assistance at the Toma Ciorbă Hospital for Infectious Diseases, where he or she was placed for treatment.

Measles is considered a highly contagious infection that is transmitted through the air from the sick person. It manifests with a sudden onset of high fever, initially with conjunctivitis, intolerance to light, lacrimation, nasal discharge, dry cough, and on the 3rd-4th day the sufferer develops confluent red spots on the skin, which primarily appear on the face and neck, and then spreads to the whole body.

The Agency warns that unvaccinated children are at a very high risk of getting sick and developing complications, the most common being laryngitis, pneumonia and meningitis.

Measles vaccine coverage in Moldova is below the OWH recommended level of 95%. In particular, it stands at 84.2% for 1-year-olds and younger; 92.6% for 7-year-olds and younger; and 93.6% for 15-year-olds and older.