Asunción, 7 Oct (Prensa Latina) The Paraguayan Ministry of Public Health urged families today to vaccinate children against highly contagious diseases, such as measles, rubella and polio, in the face of a case of the latter found in Brazil.
According to health authorities, a recent case of polio has been confirmed in the Brazilian state of Pará, which increases the risk of contagion in Paraguay and makes it imperative to ensure the protection of children with an additional dose of the vaccine.
They warned that vaccination coverage figures remain low, despite efforts made in the country, where doses are free and are applied in all vaccination clinics, as well as house-to-house vaccination brigades work to reach as many immunized children as possible. .
They stressed that all children between one and six years of age should receive the MMR vaccine and those six months to four years of age, the oral polio vaccine to be protected against these dangerous and communicable diseases.
Data from the Ministry of Health shows that 380,281 children have been vaccinated against oral polio to date, out of a target of 636,611.
In the meantime, 500,000 741 doses have been applied against measles and rubella, which represent 59 percent of the total coverage (846,000 952 newborns).
Specialists believe that measles is one of the most contagious diseases in existence, and it is spread through coughing and sneezing.
People can become infected by breathing in air contaminated by the virus or by touching a contaminated surface and then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth.
It primarily affects children and unvaccinated people and can become complicated and cause pneumonia, brain infections, and death.
Polio essentially also attacks minors and can cause disability and death.
Rubella is similar to measles, when a pregnant woman is infected, she can have a miscarriage or cause birth defects in the baby, such as deafness or blindness.
