The governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, declared sanitary emergency state due to a measles outbreak that has affected some 30 people since the beginning of the year. Costa Rican health authorities insist on vaccination campaign for children under 10 years of age.

Inslee, explained through a press release that Washington has a very low vaccination rates and therefore there is an “extreme risk to public health” with possibilities of extending to other areas of the United States.

Over 7,000 cases of measles were reported in the American continent last year, the number of patients in the United States and Latin America has increased considerably in the past year.

The Social Security Service authorities estimate that close to 3 out of every 10 minors, close to 189 thousand still have not received their extra dose of the vaccine. In response to this, they will take the vaccination campaign to the schools as children return to class in the next couple of weeks.

The vaccination campaign ends February 8, this is a preventive measure, since in Costa Rica the vaccination is applied to children 15 months of age, and at age 6 or 7 the child should receive a booster. This is part of the basic immunization program established by the CCSS which also includes rubella and mumps.

CCSS recommends that all children in the age range mentioned receive their vaccination whether they have or have not completed their vaccination protocol. It is also recommended that parents confirm that their child’s vaccinations are up to date, especially when travelling to the countries in America that have reported cases of measles: Venezuela, mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Colombia, Brazil, Canada, Argentina, Antigua and Barbuda, USA and Canada.

The vaccination is completely free.

Measles vaccine has proven effective in preventing the disease resulting in a 75% decrease in deaths from the virus between 2000 and 2013.