Public Health confirms local case of measles

Public Health has confirmed a local case of measles in the province of Zaragoza, an infectious and contagious disease that is being eradicated. The new case was confirmed on February 20. This is an adult male who has not traveled during the incubation period, was in isolation during the period of disease transmission, and is healthy. Epidemiologists investigated the exact contacts and informed the health network so that specialists were on alert in case of new cases.

Measles is a disease for which there is a very effective vaccination. Immunization began in Spain in 1971 and was a single dose vaccine until 1985. From the same year, after confirmation of its increased effectiveness with the second dose, a booster dose was also administered. Both the first and second are included in the so-called triple viral vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella), they are administered to children when they reach 12 months and three years of age and are included in the childhood vaccination schedule for free. . . Vaccination coverage in Aragon is very high (in 2022: 98.3% with one dose and 96.2% with two doses).

This allowed the disease to enter the so-called elimination phase, the goal of which is to eliminate this pathology on the European continent. But in recent years, cases have been identified in a number of European countries, especially in the countries of the eastern region.

In our country, for the entire 2024 and up to the 8th week, 22 cases of suspected measles were registered: 13 of them were confirmed, 6 were excluded and 3 were under investigation.