Measles: outbreak risk in the American continent is the highest in 30 years

The risk of a measles outbreak on the American continent is the highest in the last 30 years. The alert is from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and was released on Monday (13) in Brazil. The organization urges countries to resume childhood vaccination coverage and update measles response plans to prevent the return of endemic transmission of the virus. According to the document, the most significant outbreaks occurred in Brazil, where endemic circulation continues. According to Ana Caetano, president of the Brazilian Society of Immunology, the American continent had become free of measles in 2016. However, with the low vaccination coverage, this reality has returned. “What happened is that, in recent years, there has been a very large reduction in vaccination coverage. So, to give you an idea, in the last year Brazil had a 50% reduction in vaccination coverage. This led to new cases, coming from other countries, began to enter the countries of America, not only in Brazil, but in Argentina, in Chile.” In 2021, only six countries on the continent reached the recommended level of 95% coverage with two doses. And another ten countries reported coverage of less than 80%. According to the National Immunization Program, until 2015, the percentage of Brazilians protected by vaccines reached the target audience targets, but with the setback of immunization, the percentage returned to the levels of the 1980s. Between 2018 and 2021, 26 children under 5 years old were victims of the disease in the country. In the previous two decades, only one death had been registered. Ana Caetano explains that measles is a highly contagious virus and that public awareness is an ally in fighting the disease. “Explaining and informing the population, correctly, that the vaccine is necessary to prevent us from having a measles outbreak in Brazil. And the disease comes exactly from that, from these countries where anti-vaccine movements appear and, mainly, fake news with regarding vaccines.” At the end of January, the Ministry of Health announced the multivaccination campaign against poliomyelitis and measles in schools, which should start in May. Listen on Radioagência:

Agência Brasil