Measles outbreak in the Canary Islands
The Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands reports an outbreak of measles. Four cases have been detected. The index case is a minor who was not vaccinated. Of the other three cases, two are babies who, due to their age, were not yet due for the first dose and one is an adult.
The General Directorate of Public Health has followed up on more than 400 contacts of those affected to check their vaccination status and inform them of measures if they start showing symptoms.
The measles vaccine is administered in two doses, at 12 months and three years, and 95 percent of the Canarian population is correctly vaccinated in the first year of life.
Health officials remind the public of the importance of vaccination as no new cases have been reported for years in the Canary Islands.
The Canary Islands are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in Macaronesia in the Atlantic Ocean. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Morocco and the Western Sahara. They are the southernmost of the autonomous communities of Spain.
In 2017, the WHO declared Spain a country free of endemic measles transmission due to the few cases and outbreaks identified. However, cases have recently been reported in nine autonomous communities and five of them have registered outbreaks.
Through the first week of May, 42 confirmed cases of measles had been reported in Spain.
Measles is a febrile exanthematous illness that begins with fever, nasal congestion, cough, and sometimes small erythematous spots with a whitish center may appear on the oral mucosa. The rash, which appears between the third and seventh day after the onset of symptoms, begins on the face and spreads throughout the body. It is highly contagious and is transmitted through the air through droplets or direct contact with infected people.