Advertisement ::

Enlarge Cartoon

Lausanne, Vaud (GenevaLunch and TSR, Fre) – The measles epidemic that has been spreading across Switzerland since November 2007 has touched canton Vaud, with 17 cases of the highly contagious disease registered in the past week. The cantonal health department is recommending that anyone under age 45 who has not been vaccinated, or who is unsure, should be  vaccinated. Dr Eric Masserey, who is responsible for the vaccination programme in the canton, told GenevaLunch that those who have had only one shot should be given a second. This is likely to be the case for most children over age 10, since Switzerland began to recommend a second shot only in 1998, based on international experience.

Children in Switzerland are generally given an MMR (measles, mumps,
rubella) shot at age 12 months, and a second dose at 15-24 months.
There are no booster shots. The vaccinations are not obligatory but
public health authorities strongly recommend them.

Masserey told GenevaLunch that the second dose is needed for complete coverage.
With only one shot, "it’s still possible to catch measles, although it
may be a milder form of it. That person is still able to spread the
disease."

The current Swiss measles epidemic has sparked heated debate in the US because an outbreak of measles there that has been traced to one seven-year-old child who carried the disease from Switzerland to California. It spread rapidly. "We can now clearly track these diseases," points out Masserey.

The cantonal health department believes that an epidemic can be avoided in the Lake Geneva region if Thursday’s recommendations are followed. French-speaking cantons have a higher level of vaccination than German-speaking cantons: 88% for two- to three-year-olds and 93% for teenagers. Public schools in the canton offer students entering and leaving the option of being vaccinated and for children who have had only one shot, a second is available.

Measles, contrary to some popular notions, is not a harmless childhood disease, but a viral infection for which there is no known treatment. It is easily spread through tiny drops of saliva, by coughing, sneezing and touching. It can provoke a range of serious health problems that includes pneumonia, encephalitis and serious ear infections.

Doctors in Switzerland  must report, by law, any cases of measles they see, at which point the health department steps in and interviews people who have been in contact with the patient. If they have not been vaccinated, health authorities will insist they do so. If the request is refused, the department will order that a child who has been exposed to measles and who is not vaccinated stay home from his or her daycare centre or school for 21 days, to avoid spreading the disease.

Swiss federal health information, Fre: MMR, the diseases and the vaccinations.

For contacts for health services, see GenevaLunch health resources.