Argentina confirmed a case of autochthonous measles on Tuesday after two years of being declared free of the endemic circulation of this viral disease, according to official sources.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health confirmed that the virus was detected in a 2-year-old girl who lives with her parents in the Vicente López area, in the province of Buenos Aires. According to the document, both school contacts and her family are under medical monitoring.
The minor would have been infected by being a close contact of a relative who recently returned from a trip to Europe and Africa.
The alarms went off last Thursday when the National Health Surveillance System revealed a case of febrile illness accompanied by a rash; however, the diagnosis could only be confirmed this Monday by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INEI) of the “Dr. Carlos Malbran.
“The last endemic case of measles in Argentina was registered in the year 2000. From the elimination of the disease until the year 2018, a total of 43 imported and import-related cases were registered,” the health portfolio indicated in the document.
Between December 2019 and the middle of March 2020, 199 cases of measles had been detected, of which 18 were imported, two related to importation and 179 of unknown origin.
“These last correspond to the largest outbreak since the elimination of the virus, which lasted 29 weeks, with the last one detected in epidemiological week 12 of the year 2020. After 12 weeks without cases, Argentina was able to declare the interruption of the outbreak, so that continues to be a country free of measles”, they marked in the press release.
The region of the Americas certified the elimination of indigenous circulation of the measles virus in 2016, being the only continent to achieve this.
During 2017 and 2019, more than 40 thousand cases were registered in 18 countries, where Brazil and Venezuela had 93% of confirmed cases, therefore it was no longer considered totally free of the virus.
In any case, 33 of the 35 member countries of the Americas, including Argentina, still maintain the status free of this disease and the real concern lies in the importation of the viral infection.
“Faced with the risk of reintroduction of eliminated diseases or re-emergence of those under control, it is recommended that the population verify and complete vaccination schedules and consult in the presence of fever and rash,” recommended the Ministry of Health. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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