After the death of baby, vaccination against measles and polio begins Monday in Rondônia

This week, the measles death of a seven-month-old boy in Manaus has put the Amazon region in a state of alert. The boy, who had not been vaccinated, died three days after hospitalization. Another nine-month-old child also died in June in the Amazonian capital of a measles suspicion. This was another case where there was no prior vaccination.

Until June 27, 265 cases of measles were confirmed in the Amazon, 1 693 remain in the survey and 137 were rejected.

Last Tuesday, the Manaus prefecture decreed "Emergency situation". The decree allows the immediate acquisition of goods and services needed to cope with measles. The triple viral vaccine supply was strengthened

Thursday (05), the Manaus Health Ministry sent doses of the vaccine to a municipal center for early childhood education in the area North, serving 327 children ages 4 and 5. In health posts, children and adults aged six months to 49 years will have priority in immunization.

The Ministry of Health recognizes that in addition to the Amazon, Roraima is facing a measles epidemic. The state has confirmed 200 cases of the disease, 179 are still under investigation and 35 have been discontinued. Isolated and import-related cases have been identified in the states of São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul and Rondônia. Rio de Janeiro has four suspected cases.

Alberto Chebabo, Infectious Disease Medicina Diagnostica, warns of the danger of false news about vaccines. According to him, false research proved to encourage some parents not to vaccinate their children or to be vaccinated late.

According to the Ministry of Health, between 2013 and 2015, measles outbreaks occurred in Pernambuco and Ceará. In both states, the cases were imported from other countries. The epidemic in the Amazon and Roraima is attributed by the government to cases of measles among Venezuelan immigrants.

In 2016, Brazil received the certificate of elimination of measles virus circulation from the Pan American Health Organization. The certificate maintenance effort includes strengthening epidemiological surveillance, laboratory network and vaccination strategies. In countries like Germany, public services need the vaccination card to take care of children and adolescents.