The coverage of the basic vaccination scheme for girls, boys, and adolescents in Yucatan is not going well, as it is below the national average and also below the ideal level to prevent diseases that can be deadly or leave serious consequences in the lives of children.
This was announced by infectious disease specialist Martha Avilés Robles, head of the Infectious Disease Department at the Children’s Hospital of Mexico “Federico Gómez,” during the presentation of the “Long Live the Children” campaign, promoted by the pharmaceutical company Sanofi.
Based on data from the National Center for Child and Adolescent Health (Censia), the specialist pointed out that in Mexico, on average, 86.6 percent of children under 1 year old have received their vaccines, including BCG, Hexavalent, rotavirus, and pneumococcal vaccines, while in Yucatan, the figure stands at 84.2 percent.
Avilés Robles stated that the global target, to eradicate and protect children from more than 20 different preventable diseases, is 95 percent coverage, which is still far from being achieved in Mexico.
Regarding children at the age of 1, who are due for vaccines such as the hexavalent booster, pneumococcal, and the first measles vaccine, Mexico averages 84.9 percent coverage, while in Yucatan, only 82.2 percent of children have received them.
At the age of 4, she explained, the vaccination schedule includes the administration of DPT, which protects against diseases such as diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. This is the only category in which Yucatan exceeds the national average, with 86.5 percent compared to 78.6 percent.
Two years later, all children should receive the MMR vaccine, which includes attenuated live viruses for measles, rubella, and mumps. However, only 82.5 percent of children in Mexico have received it. In Yucatan, the coverage barely reaches 79.3 percent.
The worst performance for the country, and particularly for the state, was in the MMR booster, which should be administered at 18 months, as it seems that parents forget to bring their children for follow-up visits, and only 45.6 percent of children receive their additional dose. In Yucatan, the figure drops to 32.9 percent.
TYT Newsroom
