South American countries unite in fight against measles

02/05/2002 - 20h02

Brasília, 3 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Ministers of Andino Pact countries (Bolívia, Columbia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela) and representatives of Chile, Argentina and Brazil have met in Sucre (Bolívia), to sign a pact on controlling measles in South America. The pact was signed at the XII Technical Meeting on Preventable Diseases, which occurred between the 22 and 24 of April.

Brazil has not had a case of measles since December 2000. Even so, the coordinator of immunizations at the Health Foundation (Funasa), Maria Maia, says it is necessary to be watchful and make sure the disease does not return in border regions. The main risk comes from Venezuela where there have been 1,820 cases since last September. (AB)