The Ministry of Health of the Nation issued an epidemiological alert to inform the jurisdictional authorities and the general public about the situation in order to take the necessary measures for the identification and follow-up of close contacts and to block possible contagions that may have occurred during their trip through our country. The aforementioned alert is due to the entry of 4 cases of measles into our country, as part of a trip from Bolivia to Uruguay, and they correspond to a family without a history of vaccination, composed of three adults aged 21, 39 and 46 and a minor of 11 years. According to the health portfolio in a report from the National Epidemiological Bulletin (BEN), to which the Argentine News Agency had access, the four traveled to the localities of San Pedro de Pinal and San Julián (Bolivia) to participate in various social activities in which they had contact with people with symptoms compatible with measles. The people entered the country on November 14 through the Yacuiba (Tarija, Bolivia) - Salvador Mazza (Salta, Argentina) border crossing and left for their place of residence in San Javier (Uruguay) on the 16th, through the Colón (Entre Ríos, Argentina) - Paysandú (Uruguay) border crossing. In this situation, the Ministry of Health of the Nation has begun the corresponding epidemiological investigation to identify potentially exposed contacts according to the itinerary of the detected cases and is working with the jurisdictions to implement the necessary outbreak control actions. Taking into account that measles is a preventable disease through vaccination, the national health portfolio recommends that the population get the established doses within the National Vaccination Calendar and contact the health system in case of the appearance of symptoms compatible with this disease. What is measles, its symptoms and how it is transmitted Measles is a viral, eruptive-febrile respiratory disease that is highly contagious, spreading quickly and easily from person to person and, sometimes, it can be fatal. The most severe cases occur in children under 5 years of age and people with immunocompromise or malnutrition, and the only way to prevent it is through vaccination. The clinical manifestations are high fever, red spots on the skin, runny nose, conjunctivitis and cough, while the person suffering from it may present complications such as pneumonia, seizures, meningoencephalitis and blindness. This disease has no specific treatment and is fatal in 1 to 2 cases per 1,000 unvaccinated people. Meanwhile, vaccination is the only way to prevent measles and its complications, and the scheme according to the National Calendar includes 2 doses of the MMR vaccine: at 12 months and 5 years of age.
