The Department of Health of the Basque Country has just detected in Vizcaya a Measles case in a 20 month old baby who was not vaccinated. The authorities claim that this case is related to the outbreak in Navarra, and certain measures have already been put in place to prevent the emergence of new infections.
Recall that measles, far from being an eradicated disease, is suffering a significant increase throughout Europe. In 2017, WHO registered 21,315 cases (with 35 deaths) compared to 5,273 in the previous year, figures that are largely due to the anti-vaccine movements that prevail in some European countries.
The infected baby was not vaccinated
According to the newspaper Medical Writing, the 20-month-old baby infected in Vizcaya (Basque Country) I should have received the first dose of the vaccine at the age of 12 months, according to the official vaccination schedule of the Basque Government.
But nevertheless, the little one had not been vaccinated and therefore it has become infected with this disease, which the authorities relate to an outbreak in Navarra.
Being a highly contagious disease, isolation measures have been carried out and a strict protocol has been followed with those who have been in contact with the child, to prevent measles from continuing to spread.
The Department of Health of the Basque Government insists, from its website, on the importance of protecting children from this disease complying with the guidelines set in the official vaccination schedules. In the case of this Autonomous Community, the first dose of the triple viral vaccine is administered at 12 months and the second dose at 4 years of age.
A highly contagious disease
WHO warns that a person infected with measles can spread up to 100 people around him, and is that this viral disease spreads very easily and quickly through the secretions of the nose and mouth. A sneeze or cough is enough for particles to spread through the air and come into contact with another person.
Pediatricians and health authorities remember that the only effective measure to prevent measles infection is by vaccinating to children, doing it in due time and reinforcing the dose when appropriate.
The measles vaccine is part of the triple viral vaccine, along with rubella and mumps, and according to this year's official calendar of the AEP, a first dose should be administered between 12 and 15 months and a second recall dose between two and four years.
It is important to emphasize that an incomplete vaccination will not adequately protect the child, so it is essential to comply with all recommended doses on the calendarFrom 2012 to this outbreak, no case of measles had been detected in the Basque Country, and the local government speaks of a vaccination coverage in that territory of 96.05 percent for the first dose, and 94.7 per cent for the second, complying with the indications recommended by WHO.
The truth is In our country, vaccination coverage is especially high, and this led the WHO to grant Spain last year the accreditation of measles-free country, although sometimes there are some sporadic outbreaks such as this that we are commenting on, or that of Barcelona occurred a couple of months ago and originated from a person who had traveled to the United Kingdom.
A potentially serious or even fatal disease
Measles symptoms begin 10 or 12 days after being exposed to the virus, and manifest with high fever, cough, conjunctivitis and red pimples throughout the body that usually appear within 14 days of exposure and last almost a week.
In some cases there may be complications that would lead to otitis, pneumonia or encephalitis. These complications may seriously affect some people or even cause death, the most vulnerable groups being babies who have not yet been vaccinated, adults, pregnant women and immunocompromised people.
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Via Medical Writing
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