Coahuila, third place in measles cases

With 49 confirmed cumulative cases of measles and an incidence rate of 1.43 per 100,000 inhabitants, the state of Coahuila remains in third place nationwide, while Durango occupies fifth place with 22 cases and a rate of 1.13, according to the Daily Report on the Outbreak of the Disease in Mexico. No deaths have been reported in either state. In Coahuila, 233 probable cases have been investigated, and in Durango, 194.

Across the country, there are 4,079 positive cases of measles and 14 deaths, with an incidence rate of 3.06 and a case fatality rate of 0.34; the disease has been confirmed in 21 states and 87 municipalities.

Chihuahua ranks first nationwide with 3,796 confirmed cases accumulated and 13 deaths; with an incidence rate of 95.7 and a fatality rate of 0.34; second place goes to Sonora which has 87 positive cases and one death, with an incidence rate of 2.68 and a fatality rate of 1.15. Fourth place is occupied by Guerrero with 25 positive cases of measles and an incidence rate of 0.67. Confirmed cases of measles affect both sexes (48% men and 52% women) and in terms of the number of cases, the main age group affected is 0 to 4 years of age (956 cases), followed by 25 to 29 with 546 cases and 30 to 34 years with 448 cases.

Regarding incidence rates, the 0- to 4-year-old age group reported the highest incidence rate, with 9.19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants under 4 years of age, followed by the 25- to 29-year-old and 30- to 34-year-old groups, with incidence rates of 5.15 and 4.29, respectively. Across Mexico, 7,677 suspected cases of measles have been studied.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that primarily affects children and is transmitted by droplets from the nose, mouth, and pharynx of infected people. Initial symptoms, which usually appear 8 to 12 days after infection, include high fever, runny nose, conjunctival injection (redness of the eye), and small white spots on the inside of the cheek.

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that there is no specific treatment for measles, and that most patients recover within two to three weeks. However, it can cause serious complications, such as blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhea, ear infections, and pneumonia, especially in malnourished children and immunosuppressed patients. Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease.