Measles situation in Bavaria undramatic

Measles: Situation in Bavaria despite new infections still undramatic

04/01/2015

In Bavaria, although significantly more measles infections have been reported since the beginning of the year than in the same period last year, but still the situation in the Free State is undramatic. Nationwide, the number of measles cases is increasing.

Location is still undramatic
According to the authorities, the situation is still undramatic despite the fact that there are always new measles infections in Bavaria. According to a report by the news agency dpa, a spokeswoman for the State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) in Erlangen reported that health authorities had reported 75 measles infections since the beginning of the year. This is 35 more than at the same time last year. Last week, three new cases were added and in the week before, there had been two.

Heavy measles wave in Berlin
Bavaria is so far away from Berlin conditions. „But every case is problematic. These are diseases that would not have to be with timely vaccination“, so the spokeswoman. The capital has been keeping a measles wave under control for months. Already 850 people have been suffering from measles since October, including many adults. 15 new cases were reported in Berlin every day. Thuringia and Saxony also reported an increase in measles cases.

Do not dismiss measles as a harmless childhood disease
Meanwhile, the LGL warns on its website against dismissing measles as a harmless childhood disease. Not only children, but also adults could become seriously ill with an infection with the virus. Although a safe vaccine has been available for 40 years, measles is still one of the leading causes of death in children worldwide. The disease usually begins with fever, conjunctivitis, runny nose and cough. An infection can lead to complications such as otitis media or pneumonia due to the weakened immune system and sometimes have life-threatening consequences such as meningitis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a stable vaccination rate of 95 percent of the population would be needed to eliminate the infectious disease. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany is still a long way from achieving this goal. (Ad)

Picture: H.D.Volz