UN health officials reported this week that the measles outbreak in Venezuela is ongoing with measles cases reported in all states and the Capital District.
Since the summer of 2017 with the confirmation of the first measles case, health authorities report a total of 4,272 confirmed measles cases, including 62 deaths.
In 2018 to date, 3,545 confirmed measles cases have been reported.
The highest incidence of cases are reported in the following states: Delta Amacuro, Capital District, Vargas and Miranda.
The outbreak in Venezuela and the surge of people leaving the country has affected it’s neighbors in South America. In addition to the large influx of imported measles in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru have reported cases from Venezuela.
The circulation of wild measles virus was interrupted in Venezuela in February 2007 after the catch-up vaccination (1994) and monitoring (1998) and in response to the measles outbreak in 2001.
Measles was declared eliminated from the Americas in 2016 by the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).
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