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World Health Organization (WHO) has declared on Wednesday that Maldives and Sri Lanka have successfully eradicated rubella, and have become the first two countries in South East Asia to completely eliminate measles and rubella.
The Maldives received the verification after a virtual meeting of the South-East Asia Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination, the fifth of the kind. Receiving the status means that there is no indication of endemic transmission of measles and rubella viruses for over three years in the country, in the existence of a well performing surveillance system. The verification commission is made up of 11 independent international experts in the fields of epidemiology, virology and public health.
Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh extended congratulations to both Maldives and Sri Lanka. “Protecting all children against these killer and debilitating diseases is an important step in our endeavor to achieve healthier population and health for all”, she said highlighting the accomplishment.
Both the countries achieved this milestone way ahead of their 2023 target. Maldives’ last reported endemic case of measles was in 2009, and rubella in 2015. While the neighboring Sri Lanka’s last endemic case of measles was reported in 2016, and rubella on 2017.
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