Bolivia registers a case of rubella, after 16 years

First modification: 07/30/2022 – 14:50

In 2015, the region of the Americas had become the first in the world to be declared free of endemic rubella transmission, the Pan American Health Organization published at the time.

Rubella is a contagious viral disease that can cause multiple birth defects and even stillbirth if contracted by a woman during her pregnancy.

“The elimination of rubella from the Americas is a historic achievement that reflects the collective will of the countries of our region to work together to achieve ambitious public health goals,” said Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the PAHO/WHO.

“The Americas was the first region to eradicate smallpox, the first to eliminate polio, and is now the first to eliminate rubella and congenital rubella syndrome. These achievements prove the value of vaccination and how important it is to make vaccines are available even in the most remote corners of our continent,” he stressed.

Bolivia was one of those countries that vaccination campaigns helped to eradicate it 16 years ago. But in July 2022 the disease reappeared.

“After a series of tests, it was confirmed (…) giving a positive case of rubella in a 31-year-old patient,” reported Luis Suárez, director of the Amazonian department of Beni (northeast).

The official explained that the patient is a pregnant woman and that how many people she had contact with is being tracked, since the virus is transmitted through sneezing, coughing or contact with contaminated surfaces.

The case was recorded in the city of Trinidad, capital of the department of Beni, with a population of about 166,200.

In November 2021, PAHO warned that the entire American continent was at “high risk” of outbreaks of preventable diseases such as polio, rubella, and measles, due to the lack of routine vaccination due to the covid-19 pandemic.

(with AFP)