By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
The Ministry of Health confirmed
four new suspected cases of measles
in Costa Rica. The new cases are in
four U.S. children aged 3 to 10
years who reside with threir parents
in Cóbano in
Puntarenas*.
Due to security policies regarding
the privacy of patients, the names
of the children and their parents
will not be published.
The report states that the parents
have nine children who have not been
vaccinated against the disease. The
children are not registered in any
school and so are presumed to be
home-schooled so the risk that they
have infected other children is low.
"The children could have acquired
the virus from a U.S. citizen woman
who recently visited the family and
had measles symptoms, and she has
left the country," Daniel Salas,
Minister of Health said. "It is
worth clarifying that there is no
relationship between these four new
suspected cases and the latest
cases" involving a French tourist
family.
The children, who were treated at
the Social Security Cóbano Clinic,
have had a fever since March 15 and
skin breakouts since March 18.
Doctors report that the results of
the blood tests to confirm or rule
out the disease will be received in
the next hours. However, the
children’s symptoms are considered
highly suspicious.
Given this situation, the Ministry
of Health, together with Social
Security, activated the protocol
established in these cases:
1. Isolation was ordered, medical
attention in the home for the eleven
members of the family: father,
mother and nine children, of whom
four are those who present a
suspected case of measles.
2. All the medical tests have
already been carried out. The
samples are in the process of
delivering the results in the next
hours.
3. The specialists are investigating
the possible contacts that the
children had with other people in
the community.
4. They will review the basic
vaccinations, which have or are
still pending in children. Based on
this study, it will proceed to apply
the vaccines that are pending, if
necessary.
Doctors are calling on health
authorities to remind caregivers
that children need a complete
vaccination scheme (two doses for
measles, one year and three months
and on admission to school).
In case any person has the following
symptoms: fever, nasal congestion,
cough, conjunctivitis, skin rash
that starts on the head and expands
through the body towards the feet,
reaching the hips around the second
day, you must go immediately to the
clinic in your area.
The last case of measles infection,
as A.M. Costa Rica reported, was
from a family of French tourists.
The parents and 5-year-old son, who
arrived in the country on February
18, were reportedly infected with
the disease in France.
They entered the country with
measles and spent one week in
isolation at the Monseñor Sanabria
hospital in Puntarenas* on
February 26.
The report in that case showed that
the child and his mother had not
been vaccinated against the virus
and the father did not have a
complete vaccination record. The
parents stated that some of their
son’s classmates had measles.
The family had remained in isolation
for the standard seven day period
set by national and international
precautionary standards to prevent
the spread of the virus. Social
Security activated the isolation
protocol because there are not
native cases of transmission of the
measles virus.
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A.M.
Costa Rica wire
services photo
The children could
have acquired the
virus from a U.S.
citizen woman who
recently visited the
family and had measles
symptoms, and she has
left the country.
Dr. Catalina Ramírez,
of Social Security,
said that the disease
does not exist in the
country and because it
is highly contagious
the measure of
isolation was
essential. "The
isolation occurs in a
safe area from the
point of view of the
transmission of the
disease," she said.
The
French family was
placed, "in a closed
room with
ventilation,
negative pressure,
restricted access
and medical care
that maintained all
the biosafety
protocols," said Dr.
Ramirez.
Dr. Randall Álvarez,
director of the
Monseñor Sanabria
Hospital, said that
adjustments had to
be made in the
cubicle so that it
could contain two
adult beds and a
crib for the child
in the isolation
room of the
hospital’s pediatric
service.
Social Security has
not reported the
costs of the
week-long medical
service provided to
the French family
but did confirm that
the government will
cover the child’s
expenses under the
Code of Childhood
and Adolescence. The
international
insurance company
Europ Assistance
France will pay the
cost of care for the
parents.
According to Dr.
Ramírez "measles is
considered the most
contagious disease
worldwide, with a
transmissible rate
of 90 percent, means
that of 10
unvaccinated people
exposed to the
virus, 9 have the
possibility of
getting sick."
The virus spreads
easily through the
air through drops
coming from the
nose, mouth or
pharynx due to
coughs and sneezes
of infected people
and the ability of
the virus to
replicate is high.
Dr. Leandra Abarca,
a coordinator of the
Immunization
Program, said that
108 people who came
in contact with the
infected family were
vaccinated. They
included Costa
Ricans, hospital
employees, and
passengers on the
plane from France.
While there is an
international
transmission of the
virus, there is a
high risk of getting
measles. Doctors are
calling on Costa
Ricans to have their
children vaccinated.
Social Security will
maintain the
‘extraordinary day
of vaccination
against measles’
until March 31.
The vaccination
campaign is aimed at
all children between
15 months and 9
years.
According to Social
Security, 770
thousand doses of
vaccines were
purchased with an
investment that
reached $1.2
million.
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Did you know that
children's vaccinations
are free in Costa Rica?
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story. Send your
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map.
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