MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan health authorities launch key vaccination campaigns

Measles and rabies are targeted this time around

Uruguay's Health Ministry (MSP) launched this weekend a measles vaccination campaign after several detections were confirmed within a family that had arrived from Bolivia.

All six confirmed cases belong to a single family residing in San Javier, in the department (province) of Río Negro. Additionally, the MSP is actively investigating five “suspicious” cases in the district's rural area.

The campaign comes days after the MSP warned that approximately 20,000 children nationwide had not completed their vaccination schedule.

Health Minister Cristina Lustemberg expressed concern over this gap, emphasizing that the highly contagious malady was preventable with two doses and urged families to catch up on immunizations “as soon as possible,” particularly children between 12 and 15 months old.

Lustemberg stressed that vaccination “is free and accessible” at all health centers nationwide.

The MSP is also urging adults born after 1967 to seek vaccination if they were not sure about the number of doses received.

The second mandatory dose against measles was introduced in Uruguay in 1992. As a result, individuals born between 1967 and 1987 may have only received one dose and are encouraged to receive their second dose promptly.

While Uruguay has maintained its measles-free status since 1999, the current situation constitutes an “alert,” MSP's Director of Epidemiology Nataly Rodríguez underlined.

The immunization effort comes shortly after the entire Americas region lost its measles-free status in November due to outbreaks in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Belize.

In a separate healthcare development, the MSP launched a free rabies vaccination campaign for pets in Montevideo after a bat carrying the disease was found in the most exclusive Pocitos neighborhood. The goal is to create a sanitary barrier after immunizing dogs and cats, it was explained.

The infected bat was discovered near the headquarters of the National Zoonosis Commission (Comisión Nacional de Zoonosis) at Bulevar España 2673. The MSP confirmed no human exposure was reported.

Technical teams are canvassing the area, distributing informational materials, and encouraging residents to vaccinate their pets. The free rabies vaccination campaign is scheduled for this Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at a fixed post located at the Commission's headquarters.

Rabies is a viral disease transmitted through bites or scratches from infected animals, which, once symptoms manifest, is nearly 100% fatal, the MSP recalled.

The authorities also advised residents never to handle bats without protection. In case of direct contact, bite, or scratch, people should seek medical help at once and notify the MSP. If a bat exhibiting atypical behavior (like being active during the day) is found indoors, it should be isolated in a room and help sought.