By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
The Ministry of Health
confirmed that medical
examinations were positive for
measles for two of the nine U.S.
children residing with their
parents in Cóbano in
Puntarenas*.
"The tests carried out by the
laboratory showed positive results
for two of the children who until
yesterday were suspected of
measles," said doctors. The
children are ages seven and nine.
The National Board of Children,
know as PANI, will intervene
with the entire family during the
measles incubation period, keeping
them in isolation.
The authorities confirmed that the
minors were not vaccinated and, in
addition, do not attend any
educational center.
The National Board of Children
agreed that they will wait for the
medical treatment of the family to
end in order to carry out an
intervention. The reason that the
investigation continues is that
the doctors had reported that the
children do have not had any of
the vaccinations required by law
and none of them attend school.
The case of this family of 11
members, parents and their nine
children, was published yesterday
in A.M. Costa Rica.
Due to security policies regarding
the privacy of patients, the names
of the children and their parents
will not be published.
The Ministry 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,"
said Daniel Salas, Minister of
Health. "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 rest of the family members
blood tests will be received in
the next hours.
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
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.
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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.
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.
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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