Mexican Health Officials On Alert For Measles Outbreak

Posted July 26th, 2011 at 5:50 am (UTC-5)
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Mexican health officials are on high alert for a possible measles outbreak after a baby girl arrived in Mexico City from France with the disease earlier this month.

Mexican health authorities are offering free measles vaccinations to travellers and employees at Mexico City International Airport.

Measles has an incubation period of 21 days. The French girl arrived in Mexico City on July 10. This is Mexico's first confirmed case of measles in four years.

Mexico's director of Epidemiology Protection, Ricardo Cortez, said a 49-block area of the neighborhood where the girl is staying is under quarantine.

The World Health Organization reports more than 12,000 cases of measles in the first five months of the year in Europe.