Number of Measles Cases at Highest Level Since 1999

08/02/2018 - 13h00

A new sign points to the advance and growth of Measles in Brazil. 1,053 cases of the disease have been confirmed so far in 2018, a level not recorded nor seen since 1999.

In that year 908 cases were confirmed, according to records from the Ministry of Health that were analyzed by Folha.

	Marcio Melo
	The MMR vaccine

In the following year, 2000, the country registered only 36 cases including just one autochthonous one (a case involving local and sustained transmission of the disease).

Since then there had only been sporadic outbreaks, all related to the importation of measles from other countries. The last of these outbreaks occurred between 2013 and 2015 in the States of Ceará and Pernambuco - during this period, there were 1.310 total cases, 876 of these having taken place in 2014.

The current scenario also indicates that the crisis is likely to worsen, since there are already 4,576 suspected cases under investigation.

According to the Ministry of Health, the data for this year include the period from February through the 30th of July. The disease started growing again after registration of the first suspected Measles case in the State of Roraima, after a child who had come in from Venezuela was treated.

A total of seven states have registered cases of the Measles. Amazonas continues to lead the list, with 742 cases confirmed and 4,470 under investigation.

Roraima is in second place, with 280 cases confirmed and 106 under investigation - of these, 70% have been among Venezuelans, mostly immigrants that have been fleeing from the serious crisis affecting the neighboring country.

Translated by THOMAS MUELLO

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