The disease is more severe in infants, malnourished and adults.
The Ministry of Health has issued a travel alert to Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the United States and Venezuela for an outbreak of measles.
The notice is addressed to the 32 states of Mexico so that those traveling to these destinations are fully immunized against the virus.
In Mexico, the last measles epidemic happened in 1989-1990 when 89,163 cases were reported. In 2018, four cases were reported: one in Baja California and three in Mexico City, all of them imported from Europe.
“The simultaneous occurrence of active outbreaks, the persistence of endemic cases in different regions of the world, as well as the possibility of reintroduction of the disease in areas with low vaccination coverage, combined with the constant flow of people, represents a risk for travelers ” , indicates the SSA.
Six countries have confirmed cases that occurred between December 2018 and January 2019: Brazil (more than 10 thousand cases and 12 deaths), Canada (one imported case), Chile (24 cases, seven of them imported), Colombia (212 cases) ), The United States (34 cases) and Venezuela (6,395 cases).
In the statement , the Federal Government states that the infection caused by the measles virus produces an acute disease, which is one of the most contagious in the world.
It is characterized by fever, redness of eyes, nasal congestion, cough, small spots inside the mouth and later, rashes on the face and neck (rash) that spread throughout the body. It is transmitted by direct contact with droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of an infected person.
The Measles is more severe in infants, malnourished and adults. The complications are: severe diarrhea, ear infections, pneumonia, blindness and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) that can lead to death. From exposure to the disease to the onset of the first symptoms (such as fever) take between 10 to 12 days.
Source: El Debate
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