The Ministry of Health confirmed this Tuesday a case of measles in a two-year-old girl resident in the Vicente López district of Buenos Aires, who maintained contact with a relative who recently returned from a trip to Europe and Africa.
“From the positive result of the PCR test carried out by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INEI) of the National Administration of Laboratories and Health Institutes (ANLIS) ‘Dr. Carlos Malbrán’, the Ministry of Health of the Nation confirms a case of measles in Argentina”announced in a statement the portfolio headed by Carla Vizzotti.
“This is a 2-year-old girl, resident in the district of Vicente López, in the province of Buenos Aireswho has maintained contact with a relative who recently returned from a trip to Europe and Africa,” the official statement added.
case investigation
The epidemiological investigation of the case began on July 7 “with the notification to the National Health Surveillance System of a case of exanthematous febrile illness, suspected of measles, by a public effector in the province of Buenos Aires. The diagnosis It was confirmed yesterday (Monday) afternoon by the national reference laboratory,” he added.
According to the Ministry, the girl’s school and family contacts “are being followed up. The municipality and the province are carrying out the control actions of the focus, and the national reference laboratory is continuing the corresponding molecular studies.”
Health recalled that the Region of the Americas “certified the elimination of the endemic circulation of the measles virus in 2016, being the first and only region to achieve this goal.”
Background
“In the 2017-2019 period, more than 40,000 cases were registered in 18 countries of the Americas, 93 percent of them in Brazil and Venezuela, for which the Region of the Americas was no longer considered measles-free, but 33 of the 35 member countries maintain the status, including Argentina, which continues to be a country free of this disease.”
“Additionally, as measles is still endemic in the rest of the world, the countries of the region are exposed to the constant threat of importing the virus”accurate.
The last endemic case of measles in Argentina was recorded in 2000 and, from the elimination of the disease to 2018, there were a total of 43 imported and import-related cases.
Between epidemiological week (EW) 1 of 2019 and EW 12 of 2020, 199 cases of measles were confirmed, of which 18 were imported, 2 related to importation and 179 cases of unknown origin.
These latest cases correspond to the largest outbreak since the elimination that lasted for 29 weeks, with the last detected in week 12 of 2020.
After 12 weeks without cases, and because it was an outbreak of less than a year, Argentina was able to declare its interruption, so it continues to be a measles-free country. In week 13 of this year, one imported case was reported, with no secondary cases reported in follow-up.
Ministry recommendations
The health portfolio reminds the population, the health teams and the media that in order to sustain the achievements and prevent the reintroduction of the virus into the country, It is necessary to maintain high vaccination coverage with two doses of measles vaccine (double or triple viral) and a sensitive surveillance system capable of timely detection of cases and thus prevent their spread.
Monitoring and vaccination campaign
Given the international epidemiological situation, the risk of reintroducing vaccine-preventable diseases, and with the aim of reducing the accumulation of susceptible children and the consequent risk of an outbreak after an introduction, the country will National Monitoring Campaign (CNS) against measles, rubella, mumps and polio between October 1 and November 13.
During the campaign, boys and girls from 13 months to 4 years inclusive (4 years, 11 months and 29 days) will receive an additional dose of the triple viral and inactivated polio vaccines (IPV).
The purpose of the campaign “will be to support the elimination of measles, rubella and poliomyelitis and continue with the control of mumps. In addition, work continues on recovering backward schemes and the summer vaccination campaign was carried out to attract adults without vaccination. “.
In this context, “More than 900,000 doses were applied in the susceptible adult population throughout the country. At the same time, we continue to work together with the jurisdictions on different strategies to recover delayed regimens in children and adolescents”said the official statement.
