The Vice-Minister of Health, L.Byambasuren, and the Head of the National Statistics Office, Ariunzaya, have signed today an agreement on jointly conducting a Nationwide Measles-Rubella Serosurvey Study to identify pockets of un-immunized populations to prevent measles and rubella outbreaks. A 375 thousand USD worth Serosurvey Study to be conducted among 4000 randomly selected people from 6 months to 35 years of age all over the country is fully supported by WHO. WHO has been providing technical expertise throughout the outbreak of measles that was declared in March 2015. Several mission teams from WHO and the U.S. CDC, Atlanta, came to Mongolia to evaluate the situation and give recommendations.
The outbreak of measles occurred about a year after Mongolia was certified by WHO Western Pacific Office as a country that eliminated measles. The outbreak that started with an imported case had quickly spread all over the country indicating existence of measles-susceptible people. Hence WHO and UNICEF joined forces in helping the country to immunize from 6 months to 6 year olds in 2015 and from 18-35 year olds in 2016.
“Mongolia went through a tough period of socio-economic and structural transition from 1990-1998 when immunization rates have fallen to slightly over 80%. This is why so many 18-35 year olds as well as their babies under one year of age, who had no anti-bodies to be transferred by their mothers, got sick during this outbreak,” says WHO Representative in Mongolia, Dr Soe Nyunt U. “For such a highly contagious disease as measles a country needs at least 95% of its population to be immune against it to prevent outbreaks. This is why this Serosurvey is so important: it will help to detect the pockets of populations susceptible to measles and rubella to inform a further policy action.”
The findings of the Survey will inform decision-makers on the National Immunization Programme gaps and allow Mongolia’s Government to undertake necessary measures should those be required to protect the population from the highly contagious measles and rubella. Respondents will be asked to give blood samples for serological tests that will detect existence or absence of measles and rubella anti-bodies in blood serum and also answer to a questionnaire that is designed to collect information on vaccination coverage for routine immunization among children, and diphtheria and tetanus in adolescents.
Dr Francisco Nogareda, the WHO consultant of the National Serosurvey Study underlines that it's important to try to comprise all respondents chosen through random sampling for this Survey. "Less people refuse to give blood samples, more accurate results of the Survey would be", says Dr Nogareda. The National Centre for Communicable Diseases and National Statistics Office professionals, who will be conducting the Survey with the support of nurses and social workers from district and aimag health centres and local statisticians, addressed the nation via media asking for a wide public support in conducting this Survey.
“Although such surveys should be conducted regularly, at least once in 3-4 years, because of big expenses required Mongolia has not had a measles serosurvey in the past 10 years,” said Dr P.Naymdawaa, the National Consultant of the Survey. “We are grateful to WHO for supporting such a vitally important Survey”. The results of the first in Mongolia Measles-Rubella Serosurvey are expected to be reported in April 2017.