MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

PAHO warns of surge in measles cases

The continental agency suggested governments up their vaccination strategies

Given the recent identification of measles clusters and cases in the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an epidemiological alert on Thursday. Therefore, the World Health Organization's (WHO) continental subsidiary urged local governments to up their vaccination campaigns.

Until Oct. 5, over 14,000 suspected measles cases have been reported, with 376 confirmations, mainly in the United States (267 cases), Canada (82) and Argentina (11).

“Most of these cases are imported or related to importation. The Americas region was certified rubella-free in 2015 and measles-endemic in 2016,” PAHO recalled in its statement.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease, that mainly affects children and can cause serious complications, including severe diarrhea, ear infections, blindness, pneumonia, and encephalitis, which can in some cases be fatal. “The most affected age group includes children from 1 to 9 years of age and young adults from 20 to 29 years of age,” the PAHO document went on. At a global level, measles remains one of the leading causes of death in young children.

“Fifty-seven percent of the confirmed cases were not vaccinated and in 28 percent their vaccination status was unknown, which highlights the urgent need to address gaps in vaccination coverage,” the agency added while urging Member States to implement active search strategies to detect cases, as well as to carry out complementary vaccination activities to close existing immunization gaps. The PAHO also recommended boosting communication campaigns to encourage vaccination and suggested that travelers be immunized before visiting areas where measles transmission has been documented.

PAHO urged countries in the region to “continue strengthening surveillance systems, rapid response to any imported measles cases, and to achieve adequate vaccination coverage.”