The regional office of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), as well as the Regional Follow-up and Re-verification Committee Colombia was certified this Friday as a country free of measles and rubella.
This was announced by the National Institute of Health (INS), which also highlighted that the report of the three entities highlights “the country’s continuity in the elimination and surveillance efforts during the pandemic” of covid-19.
The country had already received this certification eight years ago (2014); however, between 2018 and 2019, the INS identified measles outbreaks, mainly due to imported cases from Venezuela.
In fact, the Institute pointed out that border countries such as Venezuela and Brazil are at risk of losing the status that, on the contrary, Colombia maintains.
“Thanks to the vigilance of the INS, together with territorial entities, and increase in vaccination, the country maintains status“, highlighted the entity.
In September 2021, the Ministry of Health called for parents and caregivers of minors to approach the vaccination posts to receive doses once morest measles and rubella.
The entity indicated, at that time, that of the 7,588,401 minors born between 2010 and 2019 in Colombia, 3,511,446 had not received the biological, which prevented the country from achieving 95% coverage.
Cities like Buenaventura, Cartagena, Bogota, Barranquilla and Santa Marta and departments such as Vichada, Meta, Vaupés, Valle del Cauca and Norte de Santander, were the regions that should intensify vaccination campaigns once morest these diseases.
