Due to the rebound in measles cases throughout Spain, Pediatricians of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics recommend advancing measles vaccine in babies.
It is proposed to give the first measles vaccine at 12 months instead of at 15, as it is currently done, and that the second dose is offered at 2 years.
The percentage of children vaccinated has dropped to 80% -85%, when the ideal state of 95% has always been reached. Vaccination has become a controversial practice and more and more parents are relaxing with the vaccination schedule, or opt for non-vaccination, putting everyone's health at risk.
The measles outbreak is not only a problem in Spain that has gone from 173 affected in 2010 to almost 2,000 in 2011, but also in the rest of the world. In Europe, it has affected more than thirty thousand people, and the most serious cases have caused 24 encephalitis and the death of eight people.
Every year it goes further, moving away from the perspectives that the WHO had that by 2015 measles was eradicated. As we go, it seems quite unlikely that it will be fulfilled.
The problem of measles outbreak is a matter of health priority, so when presenting the vaccination schedule for 2012, the Spanish Association of Pediatrics recommends advancing measles vaccines in babies and establish a unique vaccine calendar for the entire national territory to avoid differences in privileges and age mismatches.
