Eight months after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Cambodia measles-free, the health ministry and WHO announced yesterday that a case was confirmed in rural Cambodia.

Measles/CDC
Measles/CDC

According to a Joint WHO and the Cambodian Ministry of Health statement, the first case was detected in eastern Kratie province on Oct. 4 during routine surveillance on the virus. The patient is a 13-year-old boy who is recovering.

Health Minister Dr Mam Bunheng reportedly convened an urgent meeting and dispatched two teams to Kratie and Kompong Thom provinces, where another suspect case is being investigated.

The health minister said, “We are taking all necessary measures including emergency vaccination campaigns to stop the transmission of measles virus so as to protect the Cambodian people.”

To prevent further spread of the very contagious virus, the health ministry announced they will begin a measles vaccination campaign on Oct. 20.

Related: How contagious is measles? Answer: Very

Robert Herriman is a microbiologist and the Editor-in-Chief of Outbreak News Today and the Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch

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