Ten days ago in Rute, municipality of the province of Córdoba, a child affected by measles entered the Infanta Margarita de Cabra Hospital. The boy had spots on the skin and a high fever and the parents reported that he was not vaccinated for the disease, so the center staff decided to make specific tests to determine if the disease he was really suffering from. The results confirmed that it was measles.
From this first case at least 12 people most affected with measles have appeared, some of which are hospitalized although out of danger. The Delegation of Health of the Junta de Andalucía informed yesterday that the risk situation in Rute has made them activate an emergency protocol that consists of vaccinating the viral triple (vaccine containing measles, mumps and rubella viruses) to all babies older than six months, to try to control a possible outbreak.
This vaccine is administered, in Andalusia, at fifteen months of age (in other communities, such as Catalonia, it is made at twelve).
Apparently, from the first case both children and adults with the same symptoms began to arrive at the same hospital, some of whom had to be admitted. With all the same protocol has been followed: take samples to analyze them and determine if it is indeed measles. The results are still unknown, but in the case history, a common point has been found between them: a nursery in Rute, attended by the majority of those affected.
The alarm generated in Rute has made even hospital health professionals have decided to take preventive measures to avoid getting a disease whose frequency is very low thanks to the high percentage of vaccination.
To try to control the outbreak, as we have said, the Andalusian Health Service (SAS) has decided advance vaccination to all six-month-old children both in the town of Rute, and throughout the province of Córdoba. In addition, they recommend that all adults review their vaccination card to see if they are vaccinated for the disease and, if not, go to do so.
We do not know the age of the child who initiated the outbreak, but the fact that the parents commented that he was not vaccinated from measles makes me think he has an age at which he should already be. If so, the "prophecy" that says that unvaccinated children are at risk themselves and risk other unvaccinated children, which is not always the decision of the parents, but because they are so small that they have not yet had to get vaccinated.
