The Federal government stopped supplying the doses that the state needed; UNAM warns of resurgence of cases.
Guanajuato, Mexico.- The measles outbreak in Mexico and the rest of the world raises alarms Health authorities in Guanajuato, as in the last two years the vaccines that were required for the child population were not applied because the Federal goverment headed by President Lopez Obrador did not send sufficient doses.
The above warns of a high-risk scenario for thousands of children in Guanajuato who do not have the complete vaccination scheme against measles. Last month, authorities, academics, and specialists warned about the outbreak of this acute viral disease in different parts of the world (including Mexico).
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) issued a warning after the resurgence of cases in the country, and the federal Ministry of Health this Tuesday revealed that there are 140 possible cases in the country still unconfirmed.
Given this panorama, the Guanajuato Health Secretariat reported that in 2023, Guanajuato requested 337,040 doses of Triple Viral vaccine (the one that protects against measles) from the Federation – -, of which only 109.150 doses were received.
The SSG revealed that the last receipt of the vaccine in Guanajuato was on November 22, 2023 , which is why it has repeatedly requested the delivery of the biological to the Federation , given the imminent risks of not having complete vaccination schedules.
This means that the Federation only sent a third of the doses that Guanajuato needed.
The doses of the Triple Viral vaccine administered in the last two years show an alarming lag in the coverage of the child population of Guanajuato: in 2022, only 68.7% of the target population was given the second dose, and in 2023 only 55.8%.
However, it is not the only alarm signal. Last year, only three out of every four infants who needed it were given the first dose, so the rest lacked protection against measles.
In the last three years, Guanajuato reported the following vaccination coverage with biological anti-m -Measles-Rubella-Mumps (Triple viral SRP) concerning the target population.
What makes it so dangerous?
The measles virus is one of the most contagious, it is transmitted by direct contact with droplets of saliva and mucus expelled when the infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, and cases are most frequent during the first four months of each year (end of the year). winter and early spring).
It is characterized by an initial cold-like illness with fever, cough, sneezing, watery eyes and nasal congestion, followed a few days later by the appearance of small red welts on the skin.
The infected person can infect others from four days before to four days after having the skin lesions, which can last from four to seven days and later peeling occurs.
Complications occur more frequently in children under 6 years of age and in immunocompromised people. The effects can occur in the ears, larynx, and lungs, and although rare, brain damage also appears.
In Mexico, the measles vaccine has been applied since 1970, in 1998 it was replaced by the Triple Viral vaccine, which protects against measles, rubella, and mumps, and a few years later a booster was included for adolescents with the measles and rubella vaccine.
In the last 15 years – especially due to the pandemic – vaccination coverage has not reached optimal levels in Mexico , so many young people fundamentally have no protection against these diseases, especially measles.
In Mexico, the last measles outbreak that was recorded was in 2020, with a total of 196 cases.
