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Measles cases skyrocketed by 80% worldwide in the first two months of the year

2022-04-27T20:58:44.074Z


Some 17,338 measles cases were reported worldwide in January and February 2022, compared to 9,665 in the first two months of 20


Measles alert.

Reported cases of measles have exploded by almost 80% worldwide in the first two months of the year, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF announced on Wednesday.

The two UN agencies now fear the appearance of serious epidemics of measles, a highly contagious viral disease which could affect “millions of children” in 2022.

Some 17,338 measles cases were reported worldwide in January and February 2022, compared to 9,665 in the first two months of 2021. The number of cases jumped precisely 79%, but the figures are probably higher because the pandemic has disrupted surveillance systems.

The WHO has constantly sounded the alarm in recent months about the risk of "absolute catastrophe" if the dangerous delay in the vaccination of children due to the Covid-19 pandemic is not caught up and if health restrictions are lifted too quickly.

21 epidemics in the last twelve months

Measles, which takes its name from the characteristic red patches all over the body, is a highly contagious disease.

There have been 21 significant measles outbreaks in the past 12 months (to April), mostly in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Because measles is highly contagious, cases tend to appear when vaccination levels drop.

And the two UN agencies fear that outbreaks of measles are a harbinger of outbreaks of other diseases that spread more slowly.

“Measles is more than a dangerous disease”

“Measles is more than a dangerous, life-threatening disease.

It is also one of the first signs that there are gaps in global vaccination coverage,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

According to the WHO and Unicef, too many children have not been able to benefit from measles vaccines due in particular to the disruption of health systems linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2020, 23 million children worldwide did not receive basic childhood vaccines through routine health services, the highest number since 2009 and 3.7 million more than in 2019, according to WHO and UNICEF.

Source: leparis

All life articles on 2022-04-27

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