2024-03-15 14:50:20
WHO warns of sharp rise in measles worldwide: “There has been a steady increase”
The WHO warned on Tuesday of the rapid spread of measles around the world, with more than 306,000 cases declared last year, a jump of 79% in one year, calling for an intensification of vaccination.
By Sudinfo with Belga Published on 02/20/2024 at 1:28 p.m.
The WHO warned on Tuesday of the rapid spread of measles around the world, with more than 306,000 cases declared last year, a jump of 79% in one year, calling for an intensification of vaccination.
> Cases of whooping cough are also on the rise
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“We are extremely concerned regarding what is happening with regard to measles,” Natasha Crowcroft, technical advisor for measles and rubella at the World Health Organization, said at a press briefing.
“There has been a steady increase in measles cases in all but one WHO region,” the Americas region, she said.
But as the numbers rise around the world, the WHO fears that the Americas region might in turn be overtaken by measles epidemics.
The latest global data (as of February 2024) shows 306,291 cases reported to the WHO in 2023, compared to 171,156 cases in 2022, an increase of 79%, but the organization emphasizes that the real figures are much higher.
Also according to WHO estimates, in 2022 there were 9.2 million cases.
The resurgence of this highly contagious viral disease, which can cause fatal complications and is spread through the air, is attributed to a drop in vaccination coverage during the Covid years.
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Measles prevention requires that 95% of children receive 2 doses of measles vaccine. However, globally, vaccination coverage stands at 83% and has not returned to the 2019 level of 86%.
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