Jamaican’s The Ministry of Health and Wellness has advised Jamaican travelers to countries known to have circulating measles virus – to ensure they are protected.
The advice came from Jamaica’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jacqueline Bisasor McKenzie, who was quoted as saying, that measles – a highly contagious viral disease affects mainly children, spreading rapidly even before symptoms are evident and has the potential to cause outbreaks.
The Ministry said as at May 17th, 2019 – the countries in the region that had reported confirmed measles cases were Argentina, the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, USA, Uruguay, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Jamaica has prioritized MMR vaccination for children 10 years old and younger and the Ministry of Health and Wellness provides vaccines free of cost to children.
The Ministry says there has been no case of measles in Jamaica.
