In 2021, some 40 million children missed a dose of measles vaccine – the first dose for 25 million of them, and the second for 14.7 million – according to this joint report by the World Health Organization. health (OMS) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the two organizations, this decline constitutes a significant setback in global progress towards eliminating and sustaining measles and leaves millions of children at risk of infection.
“For three years, we have been sounding the alarm regarding declining vaccination rates, and the increased risk to the health of children around the world,” Ephrem Tekle Lemango, in charge of vaccination programs at the Institute, said in a press release.UNICEF.
Vaccination coverage rate at its lowest since 2008
Declining vaccination coverage, weakening measles surveillance and continued interruptions and delays in vaccination activities due to Covid-19, as well as the persistence of large outbreaks in 2022, mean that measles is a threat imminent in all regions of the world.
Because of Covid-19, “immunization programs have been seriously affected,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Behind every statistic in this report is a child at risk for a preventable disease.”
The global vaccination coverage rate for the first dose is thus at its lowest since 2008. Indeed, only 81% of children receive their first dose of measles vaccine, and 71% of children receive their second dose of measles vaccine. .
In 2021, nearly 61 million measles vaccine doses were postponed or missed in 18 countries. Among the countries with the highest number of unimmunized children are Nigeria, India, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Indonesia.
9 million cases worldwide in 2021 including 128,000 deaths
No WHO region has achieved and maintained measles elimination. Since 2016, 10 countries that had previously eliminated measles have experienced outbreaks and re-established transmission.
Measles, a highly contagious viral infection once morest which there is no treatment once infected, takes its name from the red patches it causes on the body, in addition to high fevers and possible pulmonary complications. A very high vaccination coverage is necessary in order to achieve herd immunity.
The report estimates that there will be 9 million cases worldwide in 2021, including 128,000 deaths. Twenty-two countries have experienced large and disruptive outbreaks.
The CDC and WHO urge coordinated action to prioritize efforts to find and vaccinate all unprotected children, including those who have been missed in the past two years.