On Wednesday, the consultant of the Immunization Program of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), Regina Durón, highlighted this result at a press conference, and pointed out that now a new phase will begin to verify if the country is free of the circulation of these diseases.

According to the expert, the number of immunized children accounts for 90 percent of the child population nationwide.

PAHO Advisor Alvaro Whittembury emphasized that the benefits of vaccination outweigh possible adverse reactions, for which he invited parents to protect their children with drugs that provide immunity.

Deputy Health Minister Gabriela Aguinanga informed that brigades will visit the communities until August 31 to identify the minors who were not vaccinated.

Health authorities’ objective is to reach 3.7 million children with this campaign, and for this reason they left the possibility open for parents to take their children up to 12 years of age to medical centers in the coming weeks.

Last February, PAHO issued an epidemiological alert in which it warned about the possibility of measles outbreaks due to the reduction of vaccination in the region.

The international agency estimated at the time that more than 1.7 million children in 28 countries and territories in the Americas did not receive the first dose of measles vaccine in their first year of life.

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