MEDICAL Officer of Health for Portland Dr Sharon Lewis is urging Jamaicans to adhere to the immunisation schedule to ensure that they receive the most effective protection against a range of serious diseases.

The call by Dr Lewis came in response to the recent resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles and yellow fever, in several countries.

Dr Lewis, who was addressing a recent meeting of the Portland Municipal Corporation in Port Antonio, said reports indicate that there have been 702 cases of measles in the United States (US), with 91 people hospitalised.

“Measles can be prevented by ensuring that at least 95 per cent of the population is immunised against the disease. I encourage us not to let our guard down but rather to ensure that all our children, youths, and adults are appropriately immunised,” she said.

Jamaica provides routine vaccination against 11 serious diseases. These are tuberculosis; poliomyelitis (polio); diphtheria; pertussis (whooping cough); haemophilus influenza type b; tetanus (lock jaw); hepatitis B; measles, mumps and rubella; and human papillomavirus (HPV).

Sticking to the schedule ensures that children are vaccinated on time, minimising the risk of hospitalisation, disability, or even death.

In the case of yellow fever, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has reported an increase in cases of the disease in Latin American countries since the start of the year.

Dr Lewis said the affected countries have seen a relatively high mortality rate.

While not on the routine immunisation schedule, the yellow fever vaccine is required for travellers arriving from countries with a risk of transmission, or who have a transit through such countries for more than 12 hours.

“The requirement is for persons to get yellow fever vaccine at least 10 days prior to travel to a country where the yellow fever virus is circulating,” Dr Lewis noted.

Yellow fever is an acute virus that is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes such as the Aedes aegypti, the same vector that transmits the chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses.

“It is less costly to prevent these diseases than to treat them,” she pointed out.