Estimates for 2018: the number of measles deaths is rising to 140,000 worldwide

Last year, more than 140,000 people died as a result of a measles infection, just under 9.8 million are ill. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Department of Health (CDC) estimate that. The viruses thus remain a worldwide threat.

Compared to 2017, the numbers have increased slightly. At that time, the WHO estimated 124,000 deaths and 7.6 million infections. According to the latest data, children under the age of five are at greatest risk. This is also due to the fact that babies and toddlers have the highest risk of disease.

Measles can lead to life-threatening complications such as pneumonia and make the brain swell dangerously. Even years after the infection there is a risk of brain inflammation, which occurs very rarely, but always fatal. In 2016, for example, a six-year-old woman who had become infected with the measles shortly after birth had died in Hesse.

Ukraine extremely badly hit

"The fact that even a child dies of a disease that can be prevented by vaccination, like the measles, is frankly a scandal," says Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director. "To protect lives, we need to make sure everyone benefits from the benefits of vaccinations."

The report found that most deaths occurred in areas where access to vaccines is restricted. In the Democratic Republic of Congo alone, more than 5,000 people died in a measles epidemic this year. The five most affected countries also include Liberia, Somalia, Madagascar - and the Ukraine.

However, the report also shows that only access to vaccines can not prevent outbreaks. The US reported 2018 fewer cases than it had in 25 years. In Europe, four countries lost their status as "free of lasers": Albania, the Czech Republic, Greece and the United Kingdom.

In Germany, the Robert Koch Institute reported in 2018 more than 600 measles cases. Although fewer than in 2017, more than 1,000 people fell ill at the time. Actually, however, Germany had committed to eradicate measles by 2015.

Immunization rates have stagnated for almost a decade

Although there has been a vaccine for more than 50 years that reliably protects against measles. However, according to WHO, vaccination rates have been stagnating for almost a decade. It is estimated that in 2018 around 86 percent of children worldwide received the first dose of vaccine. For a safe protection, however, two syringes are necessary, these were less than 70 percent.

Measles are among the most contagious pathogens. According to the WHO, to contain the viruses, at least 95 percent of the population must be vaccinated - ie have received both doses of the vaccine.

In Germany, at school enrollment in 2017, only 93 percent of children were vaccinated twice. Nine percent were not taken into account in the statistics, because their vaccination certificate was missing. According to calculations of the Barmer health insurance, the vaccination rate in Germany is even below 90 percent. In order to increase the numbers, the Bundestag has decided to vaccinate, inter alia, for kindergarten children, which enters into force in March 2020.

How much vaccinations can protect is shown by the long-term, worldwide trend. It is much more positive than the short-term view: in 2000, there were still 23 million infected with measles, more than twice as many as today. At the time, the number of deaths exceeded half a million.