On February 20, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the rapid spread of measles, with more than 306,000 cases recorded worldwide in 2023, an increase of 79% compared to 2022.
The measles situation is “extremely worrying,” said WHO technical adviser on measles and rubella Natasha Crowcroft.
She also stressed that measles cases are often underreported and the actual number is certainly much higher.
To get a more accurate figure, WHO has been modeling the numbers each year, and the latest estimate shows 9.2 million cases and 136,216 deaths from measles in 2022, up 43% from 2021. Such modeling has not yet been done for 2023.
“With the number of cases increasing, we expect the number of deaths to also increase in 2023. This year is going to be very difficult,” Ms Crowcroft said.
Natasha Crowcroft warned that more than half of the world's countries are now at high risk of measles outbreaks by the end of 2024, with an estimated 142 million children vulnerable to the disease.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that mainly affects children. The most serious complications include blindness, brain swelling, diarrhea, and severe respiratory infections.
The main reason for the spike in cases is "declining vaccination rates," Ms Crowcroft said.
At least 95% of children need to be fully vaccinated to prevent disease outbreaks, but global vaccination coverage has fallen to 83%.
Ms Crowcroft added that 92% of children who die from measles live mainly in very low-income countries.
Minh Hoa (reported by Vietnam+, Ho Chi Minh City Women's Newspaper)
Source
Comment (0)