Mexico rushes out measles vaccines to curb outbreak

	Tweet

Mexico said on Monday it was rushing measles vaccinations to 16.5 million people across the country after an outbreak of the disease among adults sparked fears of an epidemic.

While the health ministry opened a telephone hotline for the public, Health Minister Julio Frenk played down the risk of a repeat of Mexico’s 1989-1991 measles epidemic that killed several thousand people.

"The risk of an epidemic on a large scale? No. That’s exactly why we are taking these measures. With this operation, there is no possibility of this becoming a large-scale problem,” he told a news conference.

The ministry said 64 cases of the disease had been documented so far this year, two thirds of those involving adults, marking a jump from the 44 cases recorded in the whole of 2003. No deaths have been reported to date.

Frenk said the extra vaccine was being taken to clinics, schools, universities and workplaces and administered to the 13-39 age group which is most at risk from measles—a disease that kills around 600,000 people worldwide each year.

Local media spread alarm by reporting a shortage of vaccines and described long lines outside doctors’ surgeries as adults—who suffer more serious effects from measles than children—raced to get immunized.

The head of the health committee in the lower house of Congress, Jose Angel Cordoba, called the situation “an emergency” and urged the government to free up income from oil sales to fund a vaccination program.

The most deadly of vaccine-preventable diseases, measles can lead to complications like ear infections, pneumonia and encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, which can cause deafness and brain damage. For pregnant women, exposure to measles can cause miscarriage or premature birth.

RELATED STORIES:
US study criticizes infection-prevention practices   Mothers may pass malaria on to their infants   Cats may help transmit bird flu   Discovery Could Aid Fight Against Cystic Fibrosis Infection   Modified measles vaccine could fight West Nile   Angola says at least 77 die in acute fever outbreak   Key Difference in How TB Bacteria Degrade Doomed Proteins   Combo vaccine less effective than mono version   Widespread school closures needed to stop strain on hospitals during epidemics   Mad cow disease found in French goat, EU says   Stored smallpox vaccine effective after dilution   Malaria in Aceh under control, aid group says

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]