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Dar hit by measles
2006-09-05 08:22:24
By Francisca Binamungu, SAUT
A measles outbreak has hit Dar es Salaam and unlike cases where children are traditionally affected, adults have also been infected.
At least 200 patients have been admitted to various hospitals that include Ilala, Kinondoni and Temeke municipalities.
Medical doctors have sounded a warning about rapid spread of the disease.
Dar es Salaam Chief Medical Officer, Dr Deo Mtasiwa, confirmed that there was an outbreak of the disease, saying more than 200 cases had been diagnosed and quarantined as of yesterday.
He said the disease traditionally attacks children, but warned that it knows no age limit.
’’Once the body immunity weakens, the virus that causes measles attacks the body, which can be followed by a secondary infection,’’ Mtasiwa explained.
Special centres have been set up at municipal hospitals to care for people suffering from the disease. He said Ilala District alone confirmed 100 cases.
In Kinondoni, 46 people have been diagnosed with the disease, while 16 have been detected in Temeke.
He said any suspicious case of the disease which is highly contagious, must be reported quickly because it is more dangerous to adults than children.
According to Mtasiwa, symptoms of the disease include high fever, red eyes, body rashes and constant coughing. He said children can endure fever more than adults.
’’People should seek immediate medical advice in case of any symptoms,’’ he said.
Commenting on the susceptibility to measles, Mtasiwa said no age group is free from the disease, although it can be controlled.
In a telephone interview, a doctor at Muhimbili National Hospital, Stanley Lyimo, said that timely vaccination would be the best approach to control the disease.
Dr Lyimo said vaccination is, however, no insurance against infection.
’’Antibiotics are prescribed as a remedy for measles patients and vaccination in the middle of an outbreak would be of no use,’’ Dr Lyimo said.
He said the bacteria that develop after infection cause complications to patients.
He said unsanitary surroundings and congestion in residential areas lead to poor ventilation, thereby providing breeding ground for the virus that causes measles.
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