FIJI’S Ministry of Health and Medical Services has lifted the mass gatherings advisory that had been in place during the measles outbreak in the country.
The ban was lifted after the National Measles Taskforce considered that sine the outbreak was declared on Thursday, November 7, 2019, some 459,000 people in Fiji had been immunised against measles.
The national measles vaccination coverage achieved the 95.3 per cent immunisation of six months to 5-year-olds and 91 per cent for those in the 19-39 age bracket.
It had also considered that:
- the Central Division (where all cases to date are from) reached the goal of at least 95 per cent measles vaccination coverage for the 6 month – 5-year-old and 19-39 target groups as of December 24th, 2019;
- Western, Northern, and Eastern Divisions are close to achieving at least 95 per cent coverage for the target groups in their respective divisions – and are expected to reach the goal within the next one to two weeks;
- While new cases continue to be reported in Central Division, the number of new cases a week has decreased.
The ministry has stated, however, that while the advisory against mass gatherings had been lifted, members of the public were still urged to continue to exercise caution.
