The fast spread of measles, which resulted in almost 306,000 cases recorded globally last year (a 79-percent increase from 2022), alarmed the World Health Organisation recently. WHO technical adviser on measles and rubella Natasha Crowcroft stated, “We in the measles world are extremely concerned.”
However, she emphasised that measles cases are usually significantly underreported and that the actual number was undoubtedly far higher. The UN health organisation models the statistics annually to obtain more precise data; according to its most recent estimate, there were 9.2 million cases and 136,216 measles fatalities in 2022.
Although this type of modelling has not yet been completed for the previous year, Crowcroft noted that the number of fatalities in 2022 has already increased by 43% over the previous year. Through a video link from Cairo, she informed media in Geneva that “we would anticipate an increase in deaths in 2023 as well” because to the rapidly rising number of cases.
“This year is going to be very challenging.” She issued a warning, stating that by the end of the year, measles outbreaks are predicted to occur in more than half of all nations in the world. Additionally, it is anticipated that 142 million youngsters are prone to illness. The virus that causes measles is extremely infectious and primarily affects youngsters. The most dangerous side effects include severe respiratory infections, brain edoema, diarrhoea, and blindness.
According to Crowcroft, “backsliding immunisation coverage” is a key contributing factor to the rising numbers.
To stop outbreaks, a community’s youngsters must receive at least 95% of the recommended doses of the vaccine, but the immunisation rate worldwide has dropped to 83 percent. The distribution of instances is highly unequal, and this is particularly true in terms of fatalities.
Crowcroft noted that less than 25% of the world’s population, mostly in extremely low-income nations, accounts for 92% of all measles-related deaths among children.
-Raja Aditya
