“The WHO has found that measles and rubella have been eradicated in Portugal. These are great victories (…) resulting from the Vaccination Programme, which has brought an end to this risk,” Francisco George told journalists, noting that measles is a particularly dangerous disease for children.
George admitted that vaccination could become its own greatest enemy because when “you don’t see the disease that has been wiped out by the vaccines, you run the risk of not carrying on immunising children.”
“These days mothers don’t know what measles is. It doesn’t exist, it doesn’t circulate. It’s fundamental to continue vaccinating, to ensure herd immunity”.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a ceremony in Loures, George said it was important to ensure there was a protection barrier in case measles is imported (through travellers, migrants or tourists).