Nearly 2 thousand measles cases confirmed in Brazil
Up to October 1, 1,935 cases of measles were confirmed in Brazil—1,525 of which in the state of Amazonas, and 330 in Roraima, in the Brazilian Amazon region. The state of Amazonas reports a further 7,873 cases under scrutiny, compared to 101 in Roraima. Isolated cases were registered in the states of São Paulo (3), Rio de Janeiro (18), Rio Grande do Sul (33), Rondônia (3), Pernambuco (4), Pará (14), Sergipe (4), and the Federal District (1).
According to the Health Ministry, ten deaths caused by measles were confirmed in the country, four of which in Roraima (three foreigners, one Brazilian national), four in Amazonas (all of whom Brazilian), and two in Pará (one indigenous person and a Venezuelan).
A report released today (Oct. 3) by the ministry shows that 97.7 percent of children aged one through five were vaccinated against the disease in Brazil, and 97.9% received the dose against polio. Up to now, 15 of the 26 Brazilian states have reached the target coverage of 95 percent for both vaccines.
A race against the clock
Brazil has until February 2019 to address the issue, and risks to lose the disease elimination certificate, granted in 2016 by the Pan-American Health Organization. The warning was made by the organization’s regional office for immunization Lúcia Helena de Oliveira, during the 20th National Immunization Journey, in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazilian sanitary authorities, however, are currently running against time, as the first cases of the illness in the north of the country were identified early this year.
“We know that the cases in Brazil have been imported, sadly, by the precarious health conditions facing Venezuela. But we’re having cases of measles in Brazil because there was no proper vaccination coverage. If we did, these cases would come all the way here and wouldn’t lead to an outbreak,” she argued.
