Rio Grande do Sul confirms imported measles case and strengthens vaccine recommendation

Correction: The child is three years old. Information was modified at 7:12 p.m.

The State Health Surveillance Center (Cevs), on Thursday afternoon (25), confirmed a case of imported measles in Rio Grande do Sul. The patient is a three-year-old boy who arrived in the municipality on December 27 from Rio Grande, coming from Pakistan, south of Asia, without having received the vaccination.

With this confirmation, the Ministry of Health reinforces the recommendation to apply the triple viral vaccine (measles, rubella and mumps), which is provided free of charge by the Unified Health System (SUS) to the population from 1 to 59 years of age according to the national calendar of vaccinations in municipal health units.

The boy arrived in Brazil, from São Paulo, on December 26. During the exodus, according to Cevs, the child was not in transmission and only sought care due to abdominal pain and fever on January 2, remaining hospitalized and isolated until January 15. (Lassen) in Rio Grande do Sul and molecular biology at Fiocruz in Rio de Janeiro, confirmed measles.

With suspicion, a selective vaccination mass was carried out on family members, neighbors and health professionals. The child is in good condition and his family members did not show any symptoms. The municipality continues to monitor visits for fever, rash, cough, runny nose, or conjunctivitis, without identifying any suspected cases. The Ministry of Health confirms that this is an imported case and there is no chain of transmission associated with it.

“The most important measure to protect everyone is certainly vaccination,” Cevs director Tani Ranieri stressed. “With the global movement of people and situations where continents can be crossed within a few hours, it is important to seek immunization and ensure the necessary protection.”

The full vaccination schedule consists of two doses up to age 29 and one dose for adults ages 30 to 59. For children, vaccination should be done between the ages of 12 and 15 months. Healthcare professionals should administer two doses regardless of age. In cases of vaccine blockade, selective vaccination is recommended for all persons over six months of age.

In Rio Grande do Sul, the last confirmed cases (37) were recorded in April 2020.

The state has 92% coverage of vaccinated people

Measles is an acute and contagious viral disease. It is particularly dangerous for children under the age of five, who suffer from weakened immunity and malnutrition. It is highly contagious, infecting nine out of ten susceptible people after exposure to the virus. It is transmitted directly through nasopharyngeal secretions when coughing, sneezing, or talking. The suspected case must be in respiratory isolation and wear a surgical mask from the moment of examination in health services.

The vaccination coverage target recommended by the Ministry of Health is 95% of vaccinated individuals. In the state, the intensification of vaccination procedures led to coverage of 91.9% – higher than 88.5% in 2022 and varying between 79.8 and 91.2% from 2017 to 2021.

This increase in coverage comes at a time when measles cases are increasing around the world. According to the World Health Organization, 2022 saw an 18% increase in infection cases and a 43% increase in deaths, with an estimated 136,000 deaths, compared to the previous year.

In recent weeks, several countries, such as Mexico, the United States, the United Kingdom and Portugal, issued alerts after confirming cases of infection with the death of a 19-month-old child in the province of Salta, Argentina, who had no medical history. Of displacement. In Brazil, the last confirmed cases in 2022 were in Rio de Janeiro, Pará, Amapa and São Paulo.

_{Text: ASCOM SES
Edition: Secom}