The Directorate General of Public Health of the Government of the Canary Islands has declared the measles outbreak that was reported last June in Tenerife and affected five people, who suffered the illness without significant complications, although two were admitted to a hospital, as closed.
The outbreak had its index case in a minor from the United Kingdom who was on vacation on the island, the Ministry of Health details in a statement in which it recalls the importance of receiving the two doses of the measles vaccine, which are administered at twelve months and three years of age.
The initial case of this outbreak was reported from the United Kingdom, as it was confirmed once the minor, four years of age, returned to his country after spending a few days in Tenerife.
One of the cases associated with the outbreak is a worker at the hotel where this minor stayed, two cases are professionals from a hospital center that this hotel employee visited, another case is a professional from the state security forces and corps who also went to this health center, and the last case is an infant, a relative of one of the other affected individuals.
Of the four adult individuals linked to the outbreak, whose ages range between 47 and 51 years, three did not have the measles vaccine, while another person only had one dose. The fifth case, the eight-month-old baby, received the measles vaccine after exposure to the disease.
The Directorate General of Public Health emphasizes that since it became aware of the suspicion of these cases, protocols for assessment, monitoring, and contact tracing were activated to try to control the spread of the disease.
And it recalls that the measles vaccine is administered in two doses, at twelve months and three years of age, and that 95 percent of the Canary Islands population is correctly vaccinated in the first year of life.
Public Health calls on the population to review the vaccination status of children three years of age and to check that they have received two doses of the measles vaccine, as well as people born after 1978 who have no record of being vaccinated or having contracted the disease naturally, to consult their health center to receive the vaccine.
Furthermore, healthcare personnel, especially due to being at greater risk of exposure to potential incident cases and representing a significant proportion of cases in outbreaks reported in Spain and other countries, must ensure they are correctly immunized against the disease.
In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Spain free of endemic measles transmission due to the few cases and outbreaks identified.
However, the increase in the number of diagnosed cases in several autonomous communities and in the two autonomous cities, all imported or linked to imported cases, has led the WHO to remove Spain from this list of measles-free countries.
Measles is a febrile exanthematous disease that begins, after an incubation period of 10-14 days, with fever, nasal congestion, cough, occasionally preceded by the appearance of small reddish spots with a whitish center on the oral mucosa (inner cheeks).
The rash, which appears between the third and seventh day after the onset of symptoms, starts on the face and spreads throughout the body.
The measles virus - morbillivirus - is highly contagious and is transmitted through the air via droplets expelled or suspended for up to two hours after expulsion, or by direct contact with nasal or pharyngeal secretions of infected individuals.
It is generally a benign disease, although it can present with complications such as pneumonia, otitis, laryngotracheitis, and diarrhea. Rarely, it can cause encephalitis or death (especially in childhood).
The period of transmissibility of a person with measles, during which they can be contagious, ranges from four days before the appearance of the rash (exanthema) to four days after its disappearance. During this time, it is essential to avoid contact with non-immunized individuals.
Public Health emphasizes that the virus contained in the vaccine has not been shown to be transmissible.
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