Over half of the globe is at high risk of contracting measles: WHO
If immediate preventive action is not taken, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that by the end of the year, more than half of the world’s countries will be at high or very high risk of measles outbreaks.
Most areas have seen an increase in measles infections, primarily as a result of immunizations that were neglected during the Covid-19 pandemic, when health systems were overburdened and fell behind on normal immunizations for diseases that may have been prevented.
“We are concerned that measles will simply jump into the gaps in our immunization programs that we have this year, 2024, if we don’t fill them really quickly with the vaccine,” WHO senior technical adviser on measles and rubella Natasha Crowcroft stated at a Geneva press briefing.
By the end of this year, almost half of all countries on Earth will be at high or very high risk of epidemics, according to figures generated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) using WHO data.
She demanded that governments take immediate action to protect children, citing a “lack of commitment” in light of conflict and competing priorities including economic crises.
Measles is an airborne virus that is highly contagious and primarily affects children under five. The WHO reports that since 2000, more than 50 million fatalities have been avoided due to the vaccination, which can be prevented with two doses.
According to WHO figures, cases were already up 79% to over 300,000 last year; however, this number is likely only a portion of the total.
All WHO areas have recorded outbreaks, with the exception of the Americas, though Crowcroft cautioned that they were to be expected.
According to Crowcroft, the reason why death rates are higher in poorer countries is because their health systems are weaker. However, middle-class and high-income countries are equally susceptible to breakouts and deaths.
Middle-income nations suffered greatly during the several measles outbreaks that occurred around the world. Additionally, we’re concerned that 2024 will resemble 2019,” she remarked.
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