By the
A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Ministry of Health
reported that the French family
which entered the country with
measles left isolation at the Monseñor
Sanabria hospital in
Puntarenas* Wednesday.
The three tourists,
father, mother and 5 year old
son, who arrived in the country
on February 18, were reportedly
infected with the disease in
France.
According to specialist child
and his mother had not been
vaccinated against the virus and
the father did not have a
complete vaccination record.
Also the testimony of the
parents, some of the son
school'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 had 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 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
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 transmissibility rate of
90%, means that of 10
unvaccinated people exposed to
the virus, 9 have the
possibility of getting sick."
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A.M. Costa
Rica wire services photo
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.
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, 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.
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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you know that children’s
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