Riga, March 19 (LETA) - The situation with the measles outbreak is serious, said Baiba Rozentale, head of the Latvian Centre for Infectious Diseases, in an interview on the Latvian Television.

She predicted that the situation will develop "not so well", as according to the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), 14,000 children under 17 have not received any measles vaccine.

The expert stressed that this is a highly contagious and serious disease that spreads from the patient's respiratory tract, becomes airborne and can remain in the air for up to two hours. The patient is contagious for a long time, Rozentale explained.

She said that the situation was serious, but also to be expected, as Europe has been experiencing measles outbreaks for the past decade due to various factors, largely due to insufficient vaccination coverage.

As reported, Latvia has recorded its first measles outbreak since 2018. Five measles cases have been reported up to March 17, including three laboratory-confirmed cases, two among schoolchildren and one adult, as well as two suspected cases among schoolchildren for which laboratory results are pending. All reported cases are epidemiologically linked.

As Ilze Udre, CDC spokesperson, previously informed LETA, the number of identified contacts is very high - at least 800 persons. These include both contacts identified in educational institutions and those outside them, such as in the families of patients, at public events, on international transport and elsewhere.