MIAMI.- The community is concerned about a recent outbreak of measles at a county elementary school Broward, north of Miami, where health authorities confirmed a sixth case of the virus, while calling to intensify vaccination.
The Broward school district ordered a thorough cleaning and replaced air filters on campus after the first reported case. Additionally, an investigation by the Florida Department of Health is underway to understand the magnitude and spread of the outbreak.
At this time, it is unknown whether the infected students received the two-dose MMR vaccine. The total number of cases at the school amounts to six, but other possible infections have not been ruled out.
This incident has once again brought into the spotlight the vaccines, especially at a time when childhood vaccination rates are declining and more parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children.
Miami Dade College epidemiologist Dadilia Garcés recommended the use of vaccines because “Measles is an eruptive disease, which tends to evolve very drastically in some children.even leading to death.”
He said that “we have to remember that measles is a disease that can be prevented, a vaccine is given before the first year and another before children enter school, around the age of five.”
Importance of vaccines
According to the Florida health authority, fully vaccinated people have 98% protection, while those who are not vaccinated are at higher risk.
“We know that For religious reasons, some people do not allow the vaccine to be administered to their children.but we must keep in mind that vaccines have shown in the last 70 years that they have saved lives,” Garcés stressed.
To which he added: “The measles vaccine has been circulating for many years, it has been improving and the purification techniques are much better than when they began, which is why today they are more effective.”
As a preventative measure, The Department of Health has issued a notice and is collaborating to identify possible transmission contacts among the school population in Broward County.
According to the epidemiologist, measles is a disease that is transmitted by air, “and this leads to The virus can last in the environment for up to five hours”.
He said as an example that if a person with measles is in a place and sneezes or coughs, and another person enters the place in two or three hours, they may end up infected.
“That is why it is very important to have good hygiene and cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and teach it to our children,” he stressed.
Complications
This disease is highly contagious and can have serious consequences, such as brain damage and, in extreme cases, death.
Another of the complications that can arise from measles, according to Dr. Garcés, “is pneumonia or encephalitiswhich can be presented immediately.”
“Some people don’t know that you can have a consequence after seven or eight years of having the disease. The person may be left with shocks and may even suffer from it,” she emphasized.
Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a rash on the face and neck. Anyone with those symptoms is advised to contact their healthcare provider before visiting to avoid exposing other patients.
