Given the growth in in the number of measles cases, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) issued a warning after the resurgence of this acute viral disease.
Through the UNAM Gazette, the educational institution indicated that estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States state that there could currently be up to nine million cases of measles around the world, with 136 thousand deaths, most of them infants.
“Data from the last two years have recorded 31,685 cases in Europe, of which 941 were in 2022 and more than 30,000 in the first 10 months of 2023, which gave rise to an alert and a call to action. “immediate.”
“Cases have occurred in all age groups. In the United States of America (USA), 1,515 cases have been recorded in the last five years, the vast majority in unvaccinated people,” he explained.
He said that in Mexico the last measles outbreak was recorded was in 2020, with a total of 196 cases.
What is measles and how is it transmitted?
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), measles is a highly contagious viral disease that mainly affects children and is transmitted by droplets from the nose, mouth, and pharynx of infected people.
In addition to this, cases are more frequent during the first four months of each year (end of winter and beginning of spring).
What are the symptoms of measles?
Initial symptoms, which usually appear 8 to 12 days after infection, include high fever, rhinorrhea, conjunctival injection, and small white spots on the inside of the cheek.
Several days later a rash appears that begins on the face and neck, and gradually spreads to the rest of the body.
However, PAHO detailed that “there is no specific treatment for measles, and most patients recover in 2 or 3 weeks.”
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