Four minors between three and 10 years old are the new suspected cases of measles in the country.
The children have American parents and live in Cóbano, Puntarenas, who confirmed never having vaccinated them or having them in the national education system.
According to the Ministry of Health, children could have acquired the virus from a US tourist who visited them and who had symptoms of measles.
The health authorities have a total of eleven people in isolation (father, mother and nine children, although only four have the symptoms.)
The Minister of Health, Daniel Salas, indicated that the children were feverish and that since March 18th they have an outbreak on the skin. The minors were treated at Clínica de Cóbano.
Authorities activated health safety protocols that include:
-Isolation, care and home monitoring for the eleven members of the family.
-Sampling and INCIENSA analysis.
-Field investigation to detect possible contacts in the locality, review of vaccination schemes and application of the vaccine in the cases that are required.
It was not possible to verify if that tourist had the virus, since he left the country.
The last imported case of measles occurred in February when a French family arrived on Costa Rican soil with the virus. The three members of the family (the child and the parents) did not have the complete vaccination scheme against measles.