Like the USA Fighting to stop the worst outbreak of the Oder for years, cases spilled to Mexico. IN Report on April 25The Ministry of Health of Mexico has announced 583 confirmed cases this year, with 560 registered in the boundary state of Chihuahua. On April 27, the Chihuahua Health Secretariat has raised the number of confirmed cases to 713 in comparison Only 7 confirmed cases throughout Mexico in 2024
The explosion in Chihuahua is partly caused by the closeness of Texas, which borders from the north. A stern explosion has been going on since the end of January, and cases in Mexico have appeared Related to people north of the border. The United States has registered 884 Confirmed cases of Odra this year, compared to 285 in 2024, as well as three deaths due to illness. This year’s cases in the USA 646 were in Texas.
To prevent the spread of the Odra virus in Mexico, his Ministry of Health issued Travel warning In the case of the United States and Canada, where cases also increased rapidly. The ministry advises travelers to make sure they are up to date with vaccinations, practice social distance, wear a mask and often wash their hands.
Vaccination levels have also helped to raise the cases of Mexico, just like in the USA. In 98 percent of American cases this year the patient – whether an adult or child – has no history of vaccination against measles. At the beginning of April, it was reported that a 31-year-old man unvaccinated against Odra died of illness in Chihuahua.
Because the Odra is highly contagious, very high vaccination indicators against him – 95 percent – are needed in various communities to stop the spread of the virus. But vaccination indicators in Mexico are weakening. Children should receive two doses of the opposite vaccine, the first usually between 12 to 15 months, and the second in the next few years. According to WHO, in 2023 Only 76 percent Children under 2 years of age in Mexico received measles vaccine.
If the indicators do not improve, it can allow the disease to become endemic in North America again. According to the analysis of epidemiologists of the Stanford University, with current vaccination rates at the level of vaccinations in the USA, Odra could restore and be constantly present in the country in the next two decades. This would cause the death of 2,500 people in the next 25 years.
In response to the urgent need to reverse the decreasing range of Mexico vaccination, the Ministry of Health began the National Vaccination Week, the first nationwide vaccination campaign from the Covid-19 pandemic. From April 26 to May 3, the plan consists in increasing the level of vaccines in the group most susceptible to measles: children aged 1 to 9. The ministry hopes to instill 1.8 million children to introduce them on a regular basis, offering free vaccines in hospitals, clinics, schools and health centers.
Odra is not the only disease directed in Mexico: children over 4 years of age are also offered DPT vaccine (diphtheria, chicken and tetanus), and the pneumococcal amplifier is offered at the age of 12 months. Juvenile people, adults over 60 years and pregnant women are also invited to obtain specific vaccines, which they may also need.
Odra is a viral disease and is considered one of the most contagious in the world. Mostly spreads among children. It is transmitted by contact with infected nasal or throat secretions and by air, and initially affects the respiratory tract. Symptoms include high fever, cough, plentiful nasal drops and a skin rash that spreads all over the body. Complications may include blindness, encephalitis (encephalitis), diarrhea, dehydration, ear infections and pneumonia. In severe cases it can be fatal.
This story originally appeared Wired in Spanish and was translated from Spanish.