SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 12 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Health Department of the Government of the Canary Islands, via the General Directorate of Public Health of the Canary Islands Health Service, has officially closed the measles outbreak that was declared in Tenerife last May. No new cases have been reported, and the specified protocol period for handling such outbreaks has concluded.
This outbreak involved four confirmed measles cases, comprising three children and one adult.
The initial case was a minor who had not received vaccination, while the two affected infants were not yet eligible for vaccination.
The Directorate General of Public Health has conducted follow-ups with over 400 contacts of the affected individuals to verify their vaccination status and provide guidance on actions to take if symptoms begin to manifest, as stated in a release.
The General Directorate of Public Health underscores the critical role of vaccination in preventing measles transmission. No new cases of this disease have been reported in years.
It emphatically states that vaccination is the most reliable and efficient means to prevent both contracting and spreading measles.
The measles vaccine is administered in two doses, at 12 months and three years, with 95 percent of the Canarian population being correctly vaccinated during infancy.
Measles is an exanthematous febrile disease that typically starts with fever, nasal congestion, cough, and possibly small erythematous spots with a whitish centre appearing on the oral mucosa.
The rash, appearing between the third and seventh day post symptoms onset, typically begins on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body. Measles is highly contagious, being transmitted through the air via droplets or direct contact with infected individuals.
In 2017, Spain was declared by the WHO as having eliminated endemic measles transmission due to the low number of cases and outbreaks. Nevertheless, recent cases have surfaced in nine autonomous communities, with five of them experiencing outbreaks.