The World Health Organisation WHO has declared Egypt, together with three other East Mediterranean counties, free of measles and rubella. The announcement was made by Egypt’s Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar.
The Health and Population Ministry had last June submitted Egypt’s file to WHO’s Regional Verification Commission (RVC) for Measles and Rubella Elimination in order to verify the eradication of the two diseases in the country.
The file included a detailed analysis of the epidemiological situation, disease incidence rates, and surveillance indicators for cases of fever and rash, Health Ministry Spokesperson Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said. It also contained percentages of vaccine coverage nationwide with two doses against measles and rubella, he explained.
The RVC recommended that Egypt should continue it’s high quality national vaccination campaigns, and should also focus on immunising visitors coming from places were the diseases were still existent.
Watani International
8 November 2022