Rwanda: Over five million children to get measles, rubella vaccine

About five million children between nine months and 14 years will benefit from the Measles and Rubella Vaccine, as Rwanda becomes the first country in Africa to roll out the vaccine nationwide. The MR vaccine protects against sickness from both measles and rubella viruses. Measles easily spreads from person to person through coughing or sneezing and can cause fever, cough, sore throat and rash. In some cases the disease causes breathing problems and swelling in the brain that may lead to death. The new vaccine also protects against rubella infection, which causes fever, headache and rash in adults but generally, few symptoms in children. Rubella is usually spread through close contact with another person. A pregnant mother is at risk of delivering a baby with malformations and mental problems if she gets infected with the rubella virus. This is called congenital rubella syndrome. Rwanda has been vaccinating all infants with one dose of measles vaccine for many years. And...