A month ago the World Health Organization (WHO) included anti-vaccine movements as one of the top ten threats to health in 2019 and warned of the increase in measles in Europe.
Now one more case of measles, this time in Costa Rica, reinforces the beliefs of the WHO. The country He had been without a case of this disease since 2014 and has returned with a five-year-old French boy, without vaccinating, which is tourism, according to The Independent.
Measles free since 2014
The French child has become the first recorded case of measles in Costa Rica in the last five years, since it was considered that the disease had been eradicated there.
The little boy traveled to the Central American country of tourism with his family and began to show some symptoms (such as the typical rash). His parents decided to consult a private doctor and confirmed that there had been more cases of measles at the child's school in France. Neither the child nor his mother are vaccinated against this virus.
In Babies and more Measles vaccine: everything you need to knowThe Ministry of Health of Costa Rica has explained that the child is being treated in strict isolation at the Monsignor Sanabria Hospital, in the port city of Puntarenas, and that they are trying to determine who may have been in contact with the infected child, even during your trip. They also claim to have informed France to take appropriate measures.
According to reports, the last known case in Costa Rica was in 2014, so the disease is already considered eradicated. And so that it continues being this way the sanitary authorities have issued this communiqué:
"Our country enjoys very good vaccination coverage in general. However, to avoid particular cases and their possible complications, it is important that those responsible for minors ensure that children have a complete vaccination system."
When in doubt, to the doctor
The Ministry of Health of Costa Rica also requests that you have to pay attention to the following symptoms of the disease: fever, nasal congestion, cough, conjunctivitis, rash that begins in the head and extends throughout the body to the feet. If they appear, it is essential to see a doctor as soon as possible.
Above all, those who have been in measles outbreaks or in contact with a patient who may have contracted it outside of Costa Rica should be more aware.
You have to vaccinate
WHO has warned that the number of measles cases worldwide has increased by more than 30% between 2016 and 2017, and that there have been increases in European countries such as Germany, where vaccination coverage was high.
In Babies and more Measles cases in 2018 beat records in EuropeMeasles, a disease that was considered controlled by vaccination, has caused 60,000 cases in Europe this year (more than double that of 2017), and a total of 72 deaths. They are the worst data recorded in 20 years, and WHO has been alerting the seriousness of the situation for some time.
Although Spain is accredited as a measles-free country, cases continue to appear in unvaccinated children, and scientific communities place the main focus on anti-vaccine movements, also responsible for the decrease in vaccination against other diseases such as influenza, rubella or The human papillomavirus.
In Babies and more Vaccine calendar 2019: these are the noveltiesPhotos | iStock
In Baby and More | A 10-year-old unvaccinated girl spreads measles to five other children in Italy and alarms go off, what you should know about vaccination if you travel with your baby to European countries affected by the measles outbreak
