One week left to vaccinate children against measles

The national vaccination campaign against measles and rubella in children from 13 months to 4 years will complete next Friday, while 27% have not received the additional dose, free and mandatory, according to the data Secretariat. from the government of health.

The health authorities urged families to visit the nearest vaccination centers to vaccinate their children, which is "compulsory and free" for the population of this age group throughout the country.

During the campaign, which began on October 1 and is conducted every four years to reduce the impact of measles and rubella, received last Wednesday an additional dose of 2,054,779 boys.

Regarding the total target population of 2,817,000 doses, approximately 750,000 children were still vaccinated with 73% coverage, said Cristian Biscayart, Director of Immune-Susceptible Disease Control (Dicei).

"It is very important that those who have not yet taken their children to vaccinate do so that these days are lacking, in order to achieve greater coverage," said the official.

According to data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), since the beginning of the year and up to 23 October, 8,091 confirmed cases of measles, including 85 deaths, have been reported in 11 countries in the region.

The list is led by Venezuela (5,525 cases and 73 deaths), Brazil (2,192 cases and 12 deaths) and the United States (142 cases). Argentina has registered a total of 14 cases so far in 2018.