Measles outbreak Berlin First death reported

First fatality on the train of the Berlin measles eruption

02/23/2015

The measles outbreak in Berlin is always drawing wider circles. One child has already died from the infectious disease, 574 people have been infected since October 2014, according to information from the State Office for Health and Social Policy Berlin. On Monday, a secondary school in Lichtenrade was closed as a precaution. As a reason, a spokeswoman for the education administration called the seriousness of the infectious disease in a teenager, so the message from the news agency „dpa“.

According to information from the Berlin Health Senator, Mario Czaja (CDU), a toddler at the age of one and a half died on 18 February 2015 in a Berlin hospital on measles, reports the „dpa“. After nearly 600 infections, this is the first death in the course of the current measles outbreak. How the toddler got infected remains unclear. The Berlin measles outbreak among asylum seekers from Bosnia, Herzegovina and Serbia, whose immunization coverage is patchy due to the civil war years, took its origin, reports the State Office for Health and Social Affairs Berlin in the Epidemiological Bulletin of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

Biggest outbreak its entry into force of the infection protection law
As the disease progressed, more and more native Berliners became ill with measles, which is associated with a lack of vaccine protection in the population. The number of new cases is still rising and has meanwhile „the highest number for Berlin since the entry into force of the Infection Protection Act (IfSG)“ reached in 2001, according to the Communication of the State Office of Health and Social Affairs. Of the 335 patients surveyed so far, around 90 percent say they have not been vaccinated against measles, she says „dpa“. The extent of the measles outbreak, however, also shows first consequences in public life. As a precautionary measure, a secondary school in Lichtenrade was closed on Monday. The school principal was informed on Friday about the particularly serious illness of a teenager and was unable to consult with the health department before Monday. According to the announcement of the „dpa“ The classmates and teachers of the teenager are now to submit their vaccination books. On Tuesday, the resumption of school operation is provided. According to the information provided by the education administration, unvaccinated teachers have also been taken out of service since the start of the measles outbreak.

Vaccination in the discussion
In view of the Berlin measles outbreak in politics is now increasingly discussed on the introduction of a compulsory vaccination in order to move vaccine opponents and skeptics to measles vaccine. The Federal Government no longer rules out such an obligation in response to the measles outbreak, the statement said „dpa“. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health told the news agency on Monday: „If measures such as vaccine counseling do not work, for example, at daycare, we must talk about further options.“ Federal Health Minister Hermann Gröhe (CDU) stressed that the recommended vaccinations in case of doubt urgently should be made up. The Berlin health administration advises children and adults who are not sufficiently immunized, also for vaccination. Measles are not a harmless childhood disease and could cause serious complications such as pneumonia or brain inflammation. The immunization was carried out in two vaccinations, the vaccine being considered to be well tolerated. (Fp)