Cabo San Lucas: Vaccination card not required to enroll, officials say
Education authorities in Baja California Sur say that presenting a complete vaccination card is not a requirement to register children in basic education, and reiterated guidance for families amid recent events mainly in Cabo San Lucas. The education secretary, Alicia Meza Osuna, clarified that the full vaccination scheme is not required for school attendance.
Cabo San Lucas measures in place
Alicia Meza Osuna, secretary of Educación Pública in Baja California Sur, said that while the full immunization record is not required to enroll girls and boys, recent situations — principally in Cabo San Lucas — have prompted the application of specific sanitary measures. The context includes the activation of prevention efforts after a second case of measles in Cabo San Lucas.
Policy then and now
Officials noted a clear change from the 1990s: at that time the Secretaría de Salud (SSA) and the Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP) required that minors be protected against several diseases before integrating into preschool or primary school. The diseases listed as required protections in the 1990s were measles (sarampión), poliomyelitis, rubella (rubéola), tetanus (tétanos), diphtheria (difteria) and tuberculosis.
What the education secretary said
Meza Osuna was explicit on the current rule: “No es requisito para inscribir a las niñas y niños en la escuela que presenten la cartilla de vacunación. De ninguna manera es requisito presentar el esquema completo de vacunación para que el niño pueda asistir a la escuela. ” She emphasized that, outside of emergency sanitary situations, parents do not need to present proof of vaccination to register their children in schools across the state.
Health guidance and symptoms
Health authorities reiterated the importance of seeking medical attention at a health unit when children show symptoms such as fever, cough, nasal discharge (secreción nasal), conjunctivitis, white spots on the cheeks (manchas blanquecinas en mejillas) or skin rashes (erupciones cutáneas). The guidance is to receive timely professional care when those signs appear.
Background on recent cases
The recent sanitary measures referenced by Meza Osuna are linked principally to events in Cabo San Lucas, including a second reported case of measles in that locality that activated prevention measures in Baja California Sur. Officials have emphasized monitoring and sanitary action in response to those developments.
About the reporter
The writer is described as a communications professional and reporter with more than 10 years of experience in national and local media. He holds a degree in Ciencias de la Comunicación from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara (UAG) and has covered events of national and international relevance. He joined an organization one year ago and currently conducts a morning news space and the program Panorama Turístico.
Closing: Presenting a complete vaccination card is not a current enrollment requirement in Baja California Sur schools, Alicia Meza Osuna affirmed, though targeted sanitary measures and medical guidance are in effect mainly in Cabo San Lucas following recent cases.
