Leading doctor campaigns for the vaccination against Measles in Spain

A TOP doctor has called for middle-aged people to vaccinated against measles.

In a recent interview, leading doctor and president of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology, Pere Godoy has stressed the importance of immunisation against the disease.

He is campaigning for the 40 to 50 age group to be completely vaccinated after a report by the World Health Organisation showed that the measles is still a global issue.

When talking specifically about his home country of Spain, Godoy is frustrated that the means to eradicate the disease are already in place, it is however the lack of specific policies and lack of awareness of the public that is preventing the disease being wiped out.

His primary goal is aimed at the 40 to 50-year-old group, as in the 1970s the disease had all been wiped out and therefore immunisations stopped.

These unimmunised people when come into contact with the disease spread more quickly and have been linked to the recent outbreaks in Catalonia and Madrid.

He says that, although the initial immunisation through the MMR jab are at a good level, around 95%, the second booster jab falls dramatically.

He states the most affected are the vulnerable population groups that require extra effort from primary care teams.

The Spanish Society of Epidemiology (SEE) is preparing a document that recommends that everyone in that age group is vaccinated. They suggest a blanket immunisation as testing and researching for possible injections done years ago would be a time consuming and expensive process.