Health officials are investigating a cluster of measles cases stemming from a family’s recent travel from Bolivia to Uruguay, prompting heightened surveillance across Argentina adn Uruguay. The confirmed cases-involving three adults and one child-underscore the continuing threat of international disease transmission and the critical importance of maintaining high vaccination rates,especially as international travel resumes post-pandemic. Authorities have meticulously traced the family’s extensive bus journey through multiple provinces and cities in Argentina to identify and alert potential contacts to the highly contagious virus.
Health officials are on heightened alert after confirming four cases of measles in a family who recently traveled from Bolivia to Uruguay. The cases highlight the ongoing risk of international disease spread and the importance of vaccination, particularly as travel increases.
The Ministry of Health issued a nationwide notice on November 22nd, urging healthcare professionals to “strengthen surveillance for febrile exanthematous diseases [due to symptoms – including the rash – of measles which are reasons for consultation], verify and complete vaccination schedules and raise awareness among the population about the importance of early consultation in the event of fever and rash.”
The virus spreads through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person speaks, coughs, or sneezes, and can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours. Because of this, health authorities have detailed the family’s travel itinerary to identify potential contacts.
The affected individuals – three adults aged 46, 39, and 21, and an 11-year-old child – had traveled to San Pedro and San Julián in Bolivia for a social event. They then returned to Uruguay by land, traveling through Argentina between November 14th and 16th.
The family entered Argentina through the Yacuiba border crossing, which connects Tarija (Bolivia) with Salvador Mazza in Salta (Argentina), and continued to Uruguay via the crossing linking Colón, in Entre Ríos, with Paysandú (Uruguay), ultimately arriving in a closed community in San Javier, Río Negro Department, Uruguay.
Upon receiving official notification from Uruguayan health authorities, local officials determined the family’s route. “The cases traveled in two different vehicles to the city of Buenos Aires and then continued their journey together by bus to the city of Colón, Entre Ríos,” the Ministry of Health reported.
Two members of the group traveled on a bus operated by Autobuses Quirquincho S.R.L. that departed Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, on Thursday, November 13th, and arrived at the Retiro bus terminal in Buenos Aires on Saturday, November 15th, at 1:00 PM.
The bus made three stops along the way: Parador Mosconi in Salta for lunch on November 14th; Parador Rosario de la Frontera in Santiago del Estero for dinner that same day; and Parador San Nicolás in Buenos Aires province on the morning of November 15th.
Upon arriving in Buenos Aires, those two travelers disembarked at the Liniers bus station at 12:30 PM on November 15th, rather than continuing to Retiro.
The other two family members used a different bus, operated by Balut Hermanos S.R.L., to reach Buenos Aires. This bus departed the Salvador Mazza, Salta, bus terminal on Friday, November 14th, at 11:45 AM and arrived at the Retiro terminal at 7:43 PM on November 15th. It made two stops: a stop in Pintos (Santiago del Estero) on the morning of November 15th and a lunch stop in Totoras (Santa Fe).
During this leg of the journey, passengers boarded and disembarked in numerous locations including Jujuy (Salvador Mazza, Tartagal, Orán, Yuto, Caimancito Pueblo, Calilegua Pueblo, Libertador General San Martín, Fraile Pintado, Chalican Pueblo, San Pedro de Jujuy, San Salvador de Jujuy, Palpalá and Perico), Salta (General Güemes and Metán), Tucumán (San Miguel de Tucumán), Santiago del Estero (Termas de Río Hondo, Santiago del Estero and Parador Pinto), Santa Fe (Rafaela and Rosario terminals), Buenos Aires (San Pedro, Campana, Escobar and Pacheco) and Capital Federal (Liniers, Dellepiane and Retiro terminals).
The four Uruguayan travelers reunited at the Retiro station and continued their journey home on a bus operated by San José S. R. L., which departed Retiro on November 15th at 9:40 PM. The destination was Federación, in Entre Ríos; they arrived on November 16th, with stops in Gualeguaychú, Concepción del Uruguay, Colón and Concordia.
“Anyone who was on any of these routes, regardless of their seat or the length of time they were on the bus, should be alert for symptoms (high fever, red spots on the skin, runny nose, conjunctivitis and cough) and should go to a health facility with a mask, clarifying that they are a contact of a confirmed case of measles,” health officials advised.
Authorities also recommend that other travelers or local residents who may have been in contact with the infected family check their measles vaccination status. Those who are not up-to-date should visit their nearest health center to receive the necessary doses. None of the travelers who became ill were vaccinated.
