The SES has diagnosed three cases of measles in the Merida health area.

The Extremadura Health Service (SES) diagnosed three cases of measles in the Mérida health district, the only ones in the entire region, and recommended that four-year-old children be vaccinated as a preventive measure.

The Ministry of Health told EFE this Wednesday that two of the three cases in the Mérida area are in the 15-19 age group, while the third is in the 45-49 group. In these cases, he emphasized that vaccination is the most effective measure to prevent the transmission of this disease. These three cases from Mérida are the only ones identified in Extremadura this year.

For this reason, the SES asked parents of children born in 2020, belonging to the Mérida Health District and who will turn four years old this year, “to be vaccinated, even if there is a month left before they reach the required age.” so that this group is fully covered.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), measles is a highly contagious viral disease because it spreads easily through the breathing, coughing or sneezing of an infected person and can cause serious illness, complications or death. Anyone can get measles, but it is most common in children.

Symptoms of measles usually appear 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus, the most noticeable of which is a noticeable skin rash.

In January, WHO/Europe warned of an “alarming” rise in measles cases on the continent in recent months and called for vaccinations to be stepped up to stop the spread. Between January and October last year, 40 of the 53 countries in the European region, including Russia and several former Soviet republics, reported more than 30,000 cases, up 30% on last year.

“The increase has accelerated in recent months and this trend is expected to continue unless urgent action is taken in the region,” WHO/Europe said. During this period, there were 20,918 hospitalizations for measles and five deaths in the two countries.