A measles epidemic continues to spread throughout the country of Ukraine, which is located in eastern Europe, on the Black Sea.

According to the operational data of the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, during the 40th week of 2018, an additional 554 people, 157 adults, and 397 children were confirmed with the measles virus.

This data represents 3 percent more measles cases than the previous week.

Since the beginning of 2018, 32,489 people have suffered measles - 13,013 adults and 19,476 children.

Moreover, 14 people died of complications from the measles virus.

The Ministry of Health said in a press release on September 12, 2018, ‘That the risk of getting sick is increasing due to the joint stay of children in schools. Unvaccinated children without authorization cannot attend schools and kindergartens.

Most people suffered from measles in Lviv, Transcarpathian, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odessa, and the capital city of Kyiv.

The Ukraine Ministry of Health once again reminds everyone the only way to prevent complications and death from measles is with a vaccination. Vaccines are available in all regions for immunization of all adults and children.

Measles is a disease that can lead to serious complications, such as pneumonia, and even death. It is caused by a highly-contagious virus that is spread through the air by breathing, coughing, or sneezing, says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Additionally, to inform visitors to Ukraine, the CDC updated its Level 1 Travel Alert on May 2nd, 2018.

This CDC alert means Americans traveling to Ukraine should ensure they are immunized against measles with the MMR vaccine before departing on a trip.

** Schedule Travel Vaccine Appointments Here **

In the USA, two approved measles vaccines are available, MMR-II and ProQuad.

International travelers can request a vaccine appointment with a pharmacy at this Vax-Before-Travel link.

The CDC Vaccine Price List provides the private sector vaccine prices for general information. And MMR vaccine discounts can be found here.

Additionally, on October 9, 2018, the US State Department issued a Level 2 Travel Advisory for all of Ukraine.

Specifically, this Travel Alert says ‘do not visit Level 4 areas, such as Crimea due to arbitrary detentions and the eastern parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk due to armed conflict.’

If you decide to travel to Ukraine, the US State Department says to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.