Mexico reports its first case of measles in 2024: calls for intensive vaccination

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.theyucatantimes.com/202...sles-in-2024-calls-for-intensive-vaccination/


Mexico reports its first case of measles in 2024: calls for intensive vaccination
written by Yucatan Times April 10, 2024

Mexico will carry out intensive vaccination against measles because this April it confirmed the first case of this disease in the country in 2024, four years after the 2020 national outbreak and two months after the alert was reactivated in the Americas, where measles was declared eradicated in 2016...

...In its Epidemiological Bulletin for week 13 (March 24 to 30) of 2024, published this Monday, April 8, the SSA specifies that the first confirmed case of measles is a child (man) four years and eight months old, without vaccination history.

Likewise, the SSA claims that it is an imported case, not indigenous. It was detected as a probable case on March 14, 2024, in Mexico City, on a flight from London, United Kingdom. Samples were taken for measles and rubella tests. The Institute of Epidemiological Diagnosis and Reference (Indre) declared it a confirmed case of measles.​

In compliance with the International Health Regulations (IHR), Mexico notified the confirmed case of measles to the World Health Organization (WHO), of the United Kingdom (the country of origin of the flight) and the countries of the passengers who flew together with the minor.

In 2021, 1,403 probable cases of measles or rubella were reported; In 2022 there were 2,536 probable cases and in 2023 2,208 probable cases were reported. None were confirmed cases in these three years, says the SSA in its Epidemiological Bulletin of April 2024...


​

 

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.gob.mx/salud/prensa/142...pion#:~:text=El%20esquema%20de%20vacunaci%C3% B3n%20contra,dosis%20a%20los%20seis%20a%C3%B1os.

Ministry of Health issues new epidemiological notice for measles
Aimed at all first, second and third level medical units.
Ministry of Health | April 9, 2024 | National

It reports on the current situation in the world and calls on medical units to verify compliance with surveillance actions.

The Ministry of Health, through the National Committee for Epidemiological Surveillance (Conave), issued today a new notice for all first, second and third level medical units, in response to the detection of imported cases of measles.

The notice reports on the current situation of this disease in the world and calls on public and private medical units to verify compliance with epidemiological surveillance and laboratory diagnosis actions of probable cases of measles or rubella.

The purpose is to prevent the reintroduction of the virus and guarantee timely diagnosis, as well as obtaining quality information that guides actions to strengthen health promotion and specific prevention.

This new epidemiological notice contains specific recommendations for medical units on the actions to be taken in the event of probable cases of measles or rubella; the measures upon confirmation of a case through the dissemination of the epidemiological notice among all units, state and jurisdictional or district committees.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease caused by the virus that belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family of the Morbillivirus genus. It is found in the secretions of the nose and pharynx; Contagion occurs when the sick person coughs or sneezes and the droplets of saliva they expel enter the respiratory tract of people who have not been vaccinated and who have not suffered from this disease.

The virus has an incubation period in the body of one to three weeks, and transmissibility occurs four days before and four days after the rash begins (the appearance of hives on the body), so, to avoid infecting other people and prevent hospitalizations, isolation at home is recommended.

The clinical picture is characterized by the presence of fever, maculopapular rash (reddish, raised spots on the surface of the skin that are distributed from head to extremities) and are accompanied by eye irritation (conjunctivitis), rhinitis-type colds, cough, and may be observed. small spots with a white center on the oral mucosa (Koplik spots). The maculopapular rash lasts four to seven days and disappears by peeling.

Mexico has a solid epidemiological surveillance system for febrile exanthematous illness for the detection and notification of probable cases of measles, with the aim of acting immediately and avoiding any risk of an epidemiological outbreak, which is why it is important to prevent infections.

In order to prevent indigenous cases of measles from being registered in the country, the National Center for Child and Adolescent Health (Censia) of the Ministry of Health, recommends that mothers, fathers and guardians or caregivers get vaccinated. to health units for girls, boys, as well as adolescents in case they lack any doses to complete the vaccination schedules.

The measles vaccination schedule is two doses: the first at 12 months of age and the second at 18 months. Girls and boys born before 2022 receive the second dose at age six.

The health centers of the 32 states have triple viral vaccines against measles, rubella and mumps (MMR) to be applied to girls and boys from one to nine years old, and double viral vaccines against measles and rubella (SR) for adolescents from 10 to 19 years. These vaccines are only supplied to the population of the aforementioned ages to begin or complete their immunization schedule.

In Mexico, in 2024 and until week 13, a total of 859 probable cases of measles or rubella have been reported, that is, suspected and subject to analysis, of which four cases of measles have been confirmed; Of these four, one is imported and three are probably related to import.​