Hundreds queue at various locations to get measles shots during 2nd phase of immunisation campaign

Hundreds of people are turning out at various locations to get their measles vaccination as the second phase of the immunisation campaign is rolling out from today.

We witnessed the lines are moving fast and people are coming with their children to get vaccinated.

We caught up with Muinesh Sami of Laucala Beach at the Samabula Health Centre who says he was waiting to get vaccinated as he has to travel for work purposes.

We also spoke to 73 year old Laisiana Buirokula of Gaji Road at the Raiwaqa Health Centre who brought her three grandchildren for measles vaccination.

Buirokula says she has experienced the measles outbreak in the past but they were immunised. 

43 year old Viliame Waqalaivi turned up at the Ministry of Health Headquarters in Toorak however he was not happy as health staff told him that only those between the age of 19 to 39 years will get the measles vaccine for now.

There are now 15 confirmed cases of measles in Fiji with the latest confirmed case being a 38-year-old from Nasilai Village in Nakelo in the Rewa Subdivision.

The Health Ministry says the Rewa Subdivisional Outbreak Response Team is rapidly responding to notification of this latest case which includes isolation of the case, quarantine and vaccination of contacts and others at risk.

11 of the confirmed measles cases are from the Serua/Namosi Subdivision specifically in Wailali, Wainadoi, Navunikabi and Makosoi in Deuba.

2 confirmed measles cases are from Samabula and Vatuwaqa in the Suva subdivision while 2 other cases are from Koronivia and Nasilai Village in Nakelo in the Rewa subdivision.

The second phase of the measles immunisation campaign has rolled out from today after 200,000 measles vaccines arrived into the country on Sunday.

The Ministry of Health has acknowledged the assistance provided by UNICEF and the Australian and New Zealand governments in securing the vaccines for Fiji.

The Ministry says across Fiji, the immunisation campaign will target any child who has not received 2 doses of a measles vaccine, any child aged 12 and 18 months who is scheduled for their routine measles immunisation, any person in Fiji travelling overseas, all health care workers and all airport and hotel staff.

The Ministry of Health says that in the Central Division only, the current campaign will also target all children aged 6 months to 5 years, all people born between 1980 to 2000 (19 years to 39 years) and all residents of Serua/Namosi aged 6 months and older.

The Central Division is prioritized for this phase of the campaign as all confirmed cases to date are in this Division and the focus remains on containing the current outbreak.

It says the other Divisions will be targeted once more vaccine supplies arrive into the country.

Already close to 100,000 people around the country have been vaccinated in phase one of the immunisation campaign and this includes over 18,000 people in the outbreak area of Serua/Namosi.

The Ministry adds that pregnant women, babies under the age of 6 months, those with a compromised immune system and those with a known allergy to the vaccine should not be vaccinated.