The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Mongolia has donated 577,000 doses of measles vaccine, syringes and safety kits worth 500,000 U.S. dollars to Mongolia, the country’s Health Ministry said Tuesday.
The doses would reach children aged 5-18 in Bayan-Ulgii, Zavkhan, Khovd, Uvs and Govi-Altai provinces in the west and Bayankhongor province in the southwest from May 15 to 25, Mongolian Health Minister Davaajantsan Sarangerel said in a statement, adding it would cover those aged 10-18 in other provinces and the capital city of Ulan Bator.
Mongolia was declared free of measles by the World Health Organization in 2016. But the Asian country reported in March the first case of measles since then.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted by respiratory droplets and direct contact. The disease can be prevented by immunization. Common complications include fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat and inflamed eyes.
There is no specific treatment for measles, and most people recover within two to three weeks.