Health Officials Report 59 Children Have Died From Measles in 2016

By M.OYUNGEREL

Representatives from the Ministry of Health and Sports, the National Center for Communicable Diseases, and the National Center for Maternal and Children's Health of Mongolia, led by the Ministry's State Secretary S.Lambaa, held a press conference on April 15, stating that 59 children have died from measles in 2016, not 918 as reported on social media.

At the beginning of the press conference, S.Lambaa said, "In the last few years, child mortality has decreased through the Mongolian government's sustainable policy. For instance, the mortality rate of children under five was at 87.5 percent in every 1,000 births. In 2010, the number decreased to 20 percent, and to 18.3 percent in 2015. We have completed the Millennium Development Goal to decrease the mortality of children under five by four times. With this number, Mongolia has been listed as one of nine countries to have successfully implemented the UN's Millennium Development Goals." He added that the mortality of children under one was at 63.4 percent in 1990, and has decreased to 15.3 percent as of 2015.

Deputy Minister Ts.Oyunbaatar said that 491 children under five died in the first three months of 2016. He said the information that 918 children under five have died from measles is inaccurate. "In the first three months of 2016, 491 children under the age of five have died, 427 of which were children under one. Child mortality has increased by 120 compared to last year," he said. Of the total number of children who have died from measles, 76.2 percent were zero to eight months old and had not been vaccinated 70 percent were children diagnosed with comorbidity due to the presence of chronic diseases, rachitis (commonly known as rickets), malnutrition, anemia, immune system disorders, and leukemia 96.8 percent had pneumonia at the time they contracted measles and 3.2 percent had laryngitis.

Prime Minister Ch.Saikhanbileg and S.Lambaa visited the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) on April 15 and met with health sector administrators, doctors from emergency and intensive care units, and the parents of children being hospitalized. Currently, 18 people are being treated in the intensive care unit at the NCCD.

Two months ago 350 million MNT was spent from government aid funds to purchase hospital equipment for the NCCD. The equipment, including one incubator, 12 monitors, four medical ventilators, 12 automated syringes, 13 automated intravenous pumps, and a...