A help desk has been established at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) following an increase in the number of measles cases.

Two individuals tested positive on the 13th of this month for measles, a disease previously eradicated from the Maldives. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) stated last Wednesday that seven people have tested positive for the disease so far this year, with more than 74 contacts identified from these cases.

IGMH stated yesterday that due to the rising number of measles cases, a help desk has been set up near the ambulance portico of the adult Emergency Room (Main ER) to provide swift assistance to patients showing symptoms of fever and red rashes. The help desk will provide services from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

The hospital has urged anyone experiencing symptoms such as a fever accompanied by red rashes to report to the help desk to consult a doctor, adding that staff at the desk will provide guidance on how to proceed.

IGMH noted that after 11:00 PM, patients requiring emergency care with fever and red rashes should visit the hospital and inform the triage nurse in the Main Emergency Room if they are adults or pregnant women, or inform the Emergency Room triage nurse if the patient is a child.

To control the spread of the disease, IGMH has also appealed to patients with fever and red rashes to pay special attention to wearing masks when visiting the hospital, and requested that they be accompanied by as few bystanders as possible.

This comes at a time when the transmission of measles is on the rise globally as well as in neighboring countries.