Turkey's response to measles outbreak questioned
Some believe the Turkish government is downplaying a measles outbreak compounded by the arrival of Syrian refugees despite warnings by World Health Organization and Turkish medical experts.
Turkey has recently faced a number of challenges, including terrorism and unemployment, after being swamped by refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war. Now another problem has emerged in the form of measles. The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) claims that the refugees are contributing to an increase in measles cases in the country.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned last year of measles, tuberculosis and contagious skin diseases spreading in Syrian refugee camps in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. Despite WHO's warning, the Turkish government's response appears lymphatic. During a budget debate in parliament Nov. 20, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu claimed that the situation was “under control.”
