The WHO and the CDC have declared measles a “real threat” to the world – and blame the corona virus
The leading health organizations fear the sharp decrease in the number of children vaccinated against the more contagious virus than the corona, when one of the reasons for this is the global focus on vaccines against Covid, and the neglect of other diseases
A report by the world’s two largest public health bodies declared the measles disease a “prominent threat” to the global community.
(Photo: Shutterstock)
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) fear that declining measles vaccination rates and ongoing large outbreaks mean the virus is “a real threat in every region of the world.”
WHO Director-General Dr. Theodore Edenhomme Gabre-Yessos said it was “very critical” that vaccination programs get back on track to avoid what he called a “preventable disease.”
“The paradox of the pandemic is that while vaccines against the corona virus were developed in record time and distributed in the largest vaccination drive in history, routine vaccination programs were widely discontinued, and millions of children missed out on life-saving vaccines against deadly diseases such as measles,” he said.
According to UNICEF data, 23 million children missed basic measles vaccinations in 2020. This is the highest number seen since 2009, and 3.7 million more than in 2019.
According to the World Health Organization – India, Somalia and Yemen are the three countries with the largest outbreak of measles.
While measles is considered one of the most contagious viruses and even more so than corona, with a 90% infection risk, the existing vaccine given during childhood is considered the best protection to reduce future outbreaks.
A child in India receives a measles vaccine (Photo: Getty Images)
The CDC has determined that nine out of ten people who are not vaccinated against measles will contract the disease if exposed to it.
On October 26, the first death was reported in India, followed by three children within 48 hours. Since then, the disease has claimed 12 children in the city of Mumbai alone – where there have been 233 cases since the start of the year, a threefold jump from the 92 cases and two deaths reported last year.
The virus is transmitted through water droplets released by sneezing and coughing from infected people. Common symptoms include fever, cold symptoms, conjunctivitis and a red rash around the face and hairline, before spreading to other parts of the body.
The rash usually appears three to four days after the initial symptoms develop.
In addition to the rash, measles can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis, and sometimes, as seen in India, it can be fatal.
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