Measles cases increase worldwide: WHO
A new joint report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that the number of deaths from measles worldwide has increased by 43% between 2021 and 2022. This increase, largely attributed to declines in vaccination rates, has raised concerns among global health experts.
According to the report, in 2022, significant measles outbreaks were recorded in 37 countries, compared to 22 countries affected in 2021. The WHO African Region topped the list with 28 countries experiencing outbreaks, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean with six, Southeast Asia with two and the European Region with one.
The director of the CDC’s Division of Global Immunization, John Vertefeuille, expressed concern about this significant increase. “ The increase in measles outbreaks and deaths is staggering, but unfortunately not unexpected given the decline in vaccination rates we have seen in recent years,” Vertefeuille warned.
Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that spreads easily through the breathing, coughing, or sneezing of an infected person. In addition to causing serious illness and complications, measles can lead to death. The good news is that the disease is preventable with two doses of the measles vaccine.
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Although 2022 saw a modest increase in global vaccination coverage compared to 2021, the report reveals that 33 million children missed at least one dose of measles vaccine. Of these, almost 22 million did not receive the first dose, and another 11 million did not complete the second dose, putting the effectiveness of the vaccination at risk.
The global coverage rate for the first dose reached 83 percent, while the second dose had 74% coverage. These values are still well below the 95% needed to protect communities from outbreaks.
Low-income countries, where the risk of death from measles is highest, keep vaccination rates even lower, with only 66% coverage. More than half of the 22 million children who missed the first vaccine dose in 2022 resided in just 10 countries: Angola, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines.
Measles vaccine is key in low-income countries
Kate O’Brien, Director of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at WHO, emphasized the seriousness of the situation. “The lack of recovery of measles vaccine coverage in low-income countries after the pandemic is a warning signal to act. Measles is called the virus of inequality for good reason. It is the disease that will find and attack those who are not protected.”
In this context, O’Brien highlighted that all children in the world have the right to be protected by the measles vaccine. “Children around the world have the right to be protected by the life-saving measles vaccine, no matter where they live,” he added.
Faced with this alarming increase in measles deaths, experts urge governments, international organizations and society in general to redouble efforts to improve vaccination rates and prevent the spread of this highly contagious disease.
