Bolivia measles update: Case count rises to 76
In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Bolivia, the Ministry of Health and Sports now reports 76 measles cases as of July 2, with most cases reported from the department of Santa Cruz.
"The majority are in the municipality of Santa Cruz, but the next most are in the municipality of Cabezas, which is precisely where we have the various communities that have avoided vaccination for many years. Therefore, we urge the population to get vaccinated, especially children under five, who are the most vulnerable group," said Minister of Health and Sports, Maria Renée Castro.
Officials said instruction has been issued to health personnel in the country's nine departments to expand the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccination to children ages 5 to 9. This decision was made after a meeting with the National Immunization Committee.
"The National Immunization Committee, which is an external committee to the Ministry of Health, has provided us with a report that allows us to move forward with the MMR vaccine for children from 12 months to 9 years of age, and that is why we, as the Ministry of Health and Sports, have sent a circular, an instruction, to the nine departments to proceed with this modality," said the top health authority.
The number of vaccines required will depend on the epidemiological situation in each region of the country.
On Tuesday, The Minister of Health and Sports, Maria Renée Castro, reported this Tuesday that the Ministry estimates having 5 million vaccines available to immunize the population.
"We need to reach almost five million vaccine doses. That will depend greatly on the progress of the disease. If we manage to contain Santa Cruz and reduce the possibility of measles spreading to the rest of the cities, we won't need as many vaccines, but everything will depend on the epidemiological situation," the authority explained.