The Ministry of Public Health is calling for parents to ensure their children have completed the vaccine doses for measles. The Ministry issued a measles epidemiological alert on Wednesday, 25 October 2023.
There are no cases of measles reported in the Dominican Republic. The warning is issued preventively after the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the increase in the number of expected cases of the disease in the region of the Americas and other parts of the world.
The percentage of people here vaccinated is estimated to be over 95 percent (100.23% in 2022). Nevertheless, the Ministry of Public Health says it is necessary for those who still need to complete the vaccination schedule to do so now.
Speaking during the Wednesday, 25 October 2023 routine Ministry of Public Health press conference, Deputy Minister of Collective Health, Dr. Eladio Pérez, recalled that the Dominican Republic has been certified as a measles-free country since 2010. The Epidemiology Department (DIEPI) and the Immunopreventable Vaccines Department (DIV) at the Ministry nevertheless urge the completion of the vaccine schedules to prevent outbreaks in the country.
Dr. Perez said that people who suspect they have the disease should not self-medicate and instead go to the nearest health center, especially if they have been in contact with people traveling here from abroad where there have been cases.
Measles is a highly contagious and potentially serious disease caused by a virus, specifically paramyxovirus. The disease mainly affects children who do not have an up-to-date vaccination schedule.
The disease is transmitted by aerosol droplets released when talking, coughing or sneezing. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis, joint pain, lymphadenopathy (swollen glands), and a rash that starts on the face and spreads throughout the body as flat, red spots. The disease can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis and death.
After the Region of the Americas was declared measles-free in September 2016, a period (2017 to 2019) ensued with a constant increase in measles cases imported from other regions of the world and between countries in the Region of the Americas.
2023 has been a year with the fewest reported cases of measles. Nevertheless, between epidemiological week (EW) 1 and EW 42 of 2023, three countries in the Region of the Americas reported confirmed cases of measles: Canada with eight confirmed cases, Chile with one confirmed case and the United States of America with 29 confirmed cases.
Read more:
Ministry of Public Health
Diepi
Pan American Health Organization
26 October 2023