WASHINGTON, D.C. — HEALTH officials at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are expressing concern for the Caribbean region as Canada continues to record cases of measles.
During a recent press briefing, PAHO announced that Canada has been reclassified due to “sustained transmission for more than 12 months,” resulting in the Americas losing its measles elimination status.
Measles, one of the most contagious diseases in the world, poses a heightened threat as the busy winter travel season approaches — raising fears of possible spread across the region.
“So, we seek to get 95% coverage for both first and second doses. It’s a challenge sometimes to get that coverage for the second dose. For the Caribbean in general, the Caribbean does have good vaccination rates,” said Dr. Sealy, PAHO’s Assistant Director.
Health authorities have expressed growing concern that the administration of the second dose of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine has been declining in several territories.
Dr. Sealy acknowledged this trend, noting that “we do see a decline from time to time.”
Speaking about the upcoming travel season, she added, “Yes, we are concerned about diseases that can be transmitted by the respiratory tract, by respiratory secretions, and measles is one of those. So, of course, we are concerned. We encourage countries to get vaccination coverage to at least 95%. We also encourage persons to report cases of fever and rash as soon as possible, and not to travel when they have symptoms, so that we can avoid the spread of disease.”
She reiterated that the Caribbean region continues to maintain strong vaccination performance overall. “The Caribbean has some of the best coverage, and we have been seeing gains and improvements over the last few years,” she said.
PAHO’s Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, confirmed that the other 34 countries and territories across the hemisphere have not been reclassified.
“This loss represents a setback, of course, but it is also reversible,” Dr. Barbosa stated. “Until measles is eliminated worldwide, our region will continue to face the risk of reintroduction and spread among unvaccinated or undervaccinated populations. The reality is that in all other regions of the world, at this moment, we have several outbreaks of measles.”
Health officials remain on alert as active cases persist in the United States, Mexico, and Venezuela.
