Measles rises to 822 in Brazil, all imported from Venezuela

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil .- Brazil has recorded 822 confirmed cases of measles since the beginning of the year, 17.6% more than those recorded ten days ago by the Ministry Health in his report on this disease, informed official sources today.

According to the Ministry of Health, in addition to confirmed cases, most in the states of Amazonas and Roraima, in the north of the country and on the border with Venezuela, According to this report, all cases are related to the importation of the Venezuelan virus, because it has been found that the virus circulating in Brazil (D8) is the same as that of the country. neighbor "It should be noted that measures to block vaccination, even in cases of suspicion, are implemented in all states," said the ministry in a note published on its website.

Of the 822 confirmed cases 519 were recorded in the state of Amazonas and 272 in the state of Roraima, as well as a few isolated cases in the states of Sao Paulo (1) , Rio de Janeiro (14), Rio Grande do Sul (13), Rondônia (1) and paragraph 2.

According to the Ministry of Health, Brazil takes preventive measures and blocks the disease throughout the country by vaccination to interrupt transmission and prevent transmission.

"To be considered sustained transmission, the same epidemic should occur for more than 12 months," the ministry said.

One of the health entities' recommendations is that adults who have not been vaccinated against measles receive the vaccine, mainly in places where there are outbreaks of the disease.

People who have already completed the vaccination program do not need to be vaccinated again.

According to the Ministry, between 2013 and 2015, Brazil had outbreaks from patients in other countries, when 1,310 cases of measles were recorded, most in the states of Pernambuco and Ceará, north of is the country and one of the poorest regions of Brazil.

The disease can cause serious health problems, such as pneumonia, blindness, brain inflammation and even death.

The Americas Region was the first in the world to be declared free from measles in 2016, the year that Brazil received from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) the Certificate of Elimination of the circulation of the measles virus.

According to OPS, until the virus is eradicated worldwide, there is always a country or continent recording imported cases.