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    Kelvin Maikana
    An outbreak of measles-like rash has occurred among preschool children. To investigate, clinical and laboratory evidence of measles infection is needed to confirm it is measles. Interventions include isolation of active cases, supportive management of cases and complications, closing affected preschools, active surveillance, vaccination of susceptible contacts, and health promotion to educate on reducing transmission.

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    Babies 17

    Uploaded by

    Kelvin Maikana
    22 views2 pages
    An outbreak of measles-like rash has occurred among preschool children. To investigate, clinical and laboratory evidence of measles infection is needed to confirm it is measles. Interventions include isolation of active cases, supportive management of cases and complications, closing affected preschools, active surveillance, vaccination of susceptible contacts, and health promotion to educate on reducing transmission.

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    An outbreak of measles-like rash has occurred among preschool children. To investigate, clinical and laboratory evidence of measles infection is needed to confirm it is measles. Interventions include isolation of active cases, supportive management of cases and complications, closing affected preschools, active surveillance, vaccination of susceptible contacts, and health promotion to educate on reducing transmission.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    22 views2 pages

    Babies 17

    Uploaded by

    Kelvin Maikana
    An outbreak of measles-like rash has occurred among preschool children. To investigate, clinical and laboratory evidence of measles infection is needed to confirm it is measles. Interventions include isolation of active cases, supportive management of cases and complications, closing affected preschools, active surveillance, vaccination of susceptible contacts, and health promotion to educate on reducing transmission.

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    17.

    There is an outbreak of measles like rash among preschool children in your district
    a) Investigate the outbreak to confirm it is a measles outbreak
    b) What interventions would you put in place?

    Answers
    a) An outbreak is the occurrence of more cases of disease than expected in a given area
    or among a specific group of people over a particular period of time limited to a
    localised increase in the incidence of disease. In the setting of a measles outbreak,
    aggressive and urgent investigation should be done given the high infectivity of the
    virus of about 90% of the contacts and also the risk of fatality due to the
    complications. To investigate the outbreak, I would use the public health conceptual
    steps though some steps can be done simultaneously. These steps are as follows:-
    1. Prepare for fieldwork
    2. Establish the existence of an outbreak
    3. Verify the diagnosis

    S
    4. Construct a working case definition

    IE
    5. Find cases systematically and record information
    6. Perform descriptive epidemiology
    7. Develop hypotheses
    AB
    8. Evaluate hypotheses epidemiologically
    9. As necessary, reconsider, refine and re-evaluate hypotheses
    10. Compare and reconcile with the laboratory and or environmental studies
    FB

    11. Implement control and prevention measures


    12. Initiate or maintain surveillance
    13. Communicate findings
    O

    Confirming that the outbreak is a measles outbreak requires knowledge of the disease as well
    as the causative organism and mode of transmission. This will include both clinical and
    PR

    laboratory evidence of measles infection. In preparing for the fieldwork, there is need to
    ascertain the mode of transmission of the virus which is by aerosol droplet. This helps to
    prepare the personal protective equipment needed in the investigation processes in the pre-
    schools that had the infected children. Measles is an infection caused by rubeola measles
    virus that causes coryza (runny nose), conjunctivitis and a cough with an associated macula-
    papular rash and fever. In confirming the presence of the outbreak, there is need for analysis
    of surveillance data of patients with the above mentioned clinical symptoms as well as to
    confirm the diagnosis with laboratory investigations. The laboratory investigations include
    analysis of nasopharyngeal swabs of suspected cases as well as polymerase chain reaction of
    serum samples of the affected cases or monitoring the measles antibody titre in the suspected
    cases. The laboratory team that confirmed the recorded cases should be checked by the
    investigating team to review the techniques used to make the diagnosis. The suspected cases
    should also be interviewed by the public health team to confirm the clinical findings to
    establish the link between the cases to establish if they had any common contacts that can
    link the outbreak and the source of the outbreak so as to generate a hypotheses.
    b) Interventions I will put in place include:-
    - Isolation of active measles cases preferably in a negative pressure room
    - Provision of resources necessary for the supportive management of cases such as
    paracetamol to manage fever, nutrition to prevent or manage malnutrition,
    tetracycline eye ointment for super-imposed eye infection, rehydration in cases of
    dehydration
    - Provision of resources for the management of complications of measles such as
    pneumonia, croup, diarrhoea, stomatitis, febrile seizures and vitamin A deficiency
    - Closing the pre-schools in the affected parts of the district
    - Active surveillance of measles infection in other schools and clinics in the district
    - Vaccination of susceptible contacts
    - Human immunoglobin for susceptible contacts such as other children from the
    preschools where reported cases attended and their family members
    - Quarantine of susceptible contacts including health care workers that first
    managed the initial confirmed cases without taking precautions

    S
    - Running of special vaccination clinics or activities during outbreaks to increase

    IE
    population immunisation coverage
    - Organising community health promotion activities and also putting up posters in
    public places to educate on the outbreak of measles and how to reduce
    AB
    transmission as well as promote early health seeking behaviour. This will also
    include having talks in schools and church to promote vaccination against measles
    and other vaccine preventable diseases
    FB

    - Strengthening infection prevention control protocols in clinics and hospitals


    - Provision of personal protective equipment for hgealth care workers
    O
    PR

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