2024-02-20 19:06:55
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization expressed concern about the rapid spread of measles, after more than 306,000 cases were reported worldwide last year, an increase of 79 percent from 2022.
“We are very concerned about what is happening,” said Natasha Crowcroft, the organization’s measles and rubella advisor, noting that the reported measles cases are much lower than the real number.
To get more accurate numbers, the UN health agency models the numbers every year. Its latest estimates indicate 9.2 million measles infections and about 136,000 deaths in 2022.
Crowcroft said that 2022 saw a 43 percent increase in deaths compared to the previous year.
She added to reporters in Geneva, via video link from Cairo, that due to the increasing number of cases, “we expect an increase in deaths in 2023 as well. The current year will be full of difficult challenges.”
She said that more than half of the world’s countries are currently estimated to be at risk of a significant measles outbreak by the end of the year. It is estimated that about 142 million children are at risk of contracting the disease.
Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that mainly attacks children. Its most serious complications include blindness, brain swelling, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections.
Crowcroft said the main reason for the inflated numbers is the “decline” in vaccination campaigns.
At least 95 percent of children need to be fully vaccinated against the disease in an area to prevent a measles outbreak, but global vaccination rates have fallen to 83 percent.
There is a great deal of inequality in the distribution of infections, and the differences are even greater when it comes to deaths.
Crowcroft noted that 92 percent of all children who die from measles live among less than a quarter of the world’s population, especially in the poorest countries.
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