In a follow-up to a recent report about measles in Ukraine, Health Minister Ulana Suprun said Friday that some 3,382 cases of measles were detected in Ukraine during 11 months of 2017, including five deaths, according to a Kyiv post report.

Image/Clker-Free-Vector-Images
Image/Clker-Free-Vector-Images

The five measles fatalities were reported from Odesa region. Suprun eluded to the issue of many unvaccinated children in hard hit regions of the country, to include Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil and Odesa regions where vaccination was not mandatory.

Since 2000, Ukraine has reported measles outbreak three times-2001, 2006 and 2012.

LISTEN: The cost of measles: A CDC review

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can be very unpleasant and sometimes lead to serious complications. The measles virus is contained in the millions of tiny droplets that come out of the nose and mouth when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

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The initial symptoms of measles develop around 10 days after you’re infected.

These can include:

  • cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, sneezing, and a cough
  • sore, red eyes that may be sensitive to light
  • a high temperature (fever), which may reach around 40C (104F)
  • small greyish-white spots on the inside of the cheeks

A few days later, a red-brown blotchy rash will appear. This usually starts on the head or upper neck, before spreading outwards to the rest of the body.

Measles can be unpleasant, but will usually pass in about 7 to 10 days without causing any further problems.

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Once you’ve had measles, your body builds up resistance (immunity) to the virus and it’s highly unlikely you’ll get it again.

However, measles can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening complications in some people. These include infections of the lungs (pneumonia) and brain (encephalitis).

Ukraine measles outbreak prompts CDC travel notice