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BRAZIL
State of São Paulo issues alert for Measles and recommends vaccination
Two imported cases were confirmed in the capital
Published on October 29, 2024 at 10:04 pm
Credit: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil/Arquivo
The São Paulo State Department of Health issued an epidemiological alert this Tuesday (29) for measles vaccination in the state. The notice from the agency’s Epidemiological Surveillance Center (CVE) was published after confirmation, by the city of São Paulo, of the registration of two cases of the disease in October.
The patients are a 37-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman who recently traveled abroad. The municipal and state health departments have not yet reported on the patients’ health status.
The country is close to regaining disease-free status, which comes after more than two years without records of locally transmitted cases.
According to the ministry, the detection of the virus in the state alerts the population about the risk of local transmission and spread. “Returning travelers should pay attention to the appearance of symptoms within 21 days. If you experience fever and redness on your skin, avoid contact with other people until you have been evaluated by a health professional”, informs the director of CVE, Tatiana Lang, in a note from the folder.
Measles is a highly transmissible viral disease that can be serious and even lead to death. Transmission occurs through coughing, talking, sneezing or by spraying droplets of saliva from a sick person.
Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent infection. The main symptoms of measles are red spots on the body and high fever (above 38.5°) accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms: dry cough; eye irritation (conjunctivitis); runny or stuffy nose.
According to the Ministry of Health, coverage for the disease, through the triple viral vaccine, has a two-dose vaccination schedule for people aged 12 months to 29 years of age and one dose for adults aged 30 to 59 years. The vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella and had an increase in coverage of the first dose, from 80.7% in 2022 to 87% in 2023.
The last autochthonous case of measles (transmitted in the country) was two years ago, in Amapá. The vaccine is recommended for everyone between 12 months and 59 years of age and the warning indicates that unvaccinated teenagers and adults or those with an incomplete schedule should start or complete the vaccination schedule.
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