The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Mongolia has donated 577,000 doses of measles vaccine, syringes and safety kits worth USD 500,000 the Health Ministry reported on Tuesday.

The vaccines should reach children aged 5-18 in Bayan-Ulgii, Zavkhan, Khovd, Uvs and Govi-Altai provinces in the west and Bayankhongor province in the southwest from 15-25 May. In addition, the vaccines should cover those aged 10-18 in other provinces and the capital Ulaanbaatar.

Mongolia was declared free of measles by the World Health Organization in 2016. Since then, however, a new outbreak was reported in March; evidently, the disease was brought by a foreign worker.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted by respiratory droplets and direct contact. The disease can be prevented by immunization. Common complications include fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat and inflamed eyes.

There is no specific treatment for measles, and most people recover within two to three weeks.