Gustavo Adolfo Olaiz Fernández Emphasizes Measles Vaccination
Gustavo Adolfo Olaiz Fernández, Director General of Health Services (DGAS) at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), has highlighted the importance of vaccination against measles, a disease even more contagious than COVID-19 and which has seen a significant rise during this winter season.
“Let’s not wait for someone else in our surroundings to get sick. People who haven’t been vaccinated should do so, and those uncertain about their vaccine status must also get vaccinated,”
Mass Vaccination Campaign at UNAM
During the November vaccination campaign last year, various university departments and UNAM’s Mega Vaccination Center administered a total of 120,000 doses of vaccines, including those against the triple viral, influenza, COVID-19, pneumococcal, and measles vaccines.
Don’t Self-Medicate
As of January 14, there have been 6,819 confirmed measles cases reported in the country, with 80 new cases on January 13 and 14. This underscores the importance of vaccination against measles.
Despite this, many individuals choose to ignore the risk and opt for home remedies. However, Olaiz Fernández warns that this only temporarily alleviates symptoms without a complete cure. He advises seeking professional medical help and avoiding self-medication.
Respiratory Diseases in Mexico
According to data from the Subsecretaría de Políticas de Salud y Bienestar Poblacional of the Mexican Federal Secretary of Health (SS), there were 272 COVID-19 deaths in the previous year, with five entities accounting for 36% of the national total:
- Mexico City: 12.5%
- State of Mexico: 6.6%
- Puebla: 6.3%
- Hidalgo: 5.5%
- Querétaro: 5.1%
Regarding laboratory-confirmed influenza cases, there were 1,194 positive results, broken down as follows:
- H1N1: 66.5%
- H3N2: 20.5%
- A: 8.0%
- Influenza B: 4.9%
Throughout this season, the Viral Respiratory Disease Monitoring Units have reported 31,166 suspected viral respiratory cases (some form of influenza or severe acute respiratory infection).
Of these, 3.8% (1,194 cases) are influenza-related, with five fatalities. The following entities have the most confirmed cases:
- Yucatán: 23.8%
- Mexico City: 23.4%
- State of Mexico: 7.5%
- Quintana Roo: 4.3%
- Guerrero: 4.2%
Key Questions and Answers
- Q: Is measles more contagious than COVID-19? A: Yes, measles is more contagious than COVID-19.
- Q: How many measles cases have been reported in Mexico? A: As of January 14, there have been 6,819 confirmed measles cases reported in the country.
- Q: What is the advice regarding home remedies for measles? A: Olaiz Fernández advises against self-medication and recommends seeking professional medical help.
- Q: How many COVID-19 deaths were reported in Mexico last year? A: There were 272 COVID-19 deaths reported in the previous year.
- Q: What are the leading causes of laboratory-confirmed influenza cases? A: H1N1 accounted for 66.5% of laboratory-confirmed influenza cases, followed by H3N2 (20.5%), A (8.0%), and Influenza B (4.9%).
