Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily through airborne droplets. Measles can cause severe illness, complications, and even death. The World Health Organization has expressed its concern about the increase in morbidity and mortality from this disease in 2022.
"Following years of declines in measles vaccination coverage, measles cases in 2022 have increased by 18%, and deaths have increased by 43% globally (compared to 2021). This takes the estimated number of measles cases to 9 million and deaths to 136 000 – mostly among children," a new report from WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
The organization added that 37 countries, including 28 in Africa, six in the Eastern Mediterranean, two in South-East Asia and one in Europe, experienced large or disruptive measles outbreaks in 2022, compared with 22 countries in 2021.
The report also said about 33 million children missed measles vaccination in 2022, of whom nearly 22 million did not receive their first dose and an additional 11 million missed their second dose.
"The global vaccine coverage rate of the first dose, at 83%, and second dose, at 74%, were still well under the 95% coverage with two doses that is necessary to protect communities from outbreaks," the report said.
The organization said over half of the 22 million children who missed their first measles vaccine dose in 2022 live in ten countries, namely Angola, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines. The report also said low-income countries with the highest risk of death from measles have the lowest vaccination rates, at only 66%.
"The increase in measles outbreaks and deaths is staggering, but unfortunately, not unexpected given the declining vaccination rates we’ve seen in the past few years... Measles cases anywhere pose a risk to all countries and communities where people are under-vaccinated. Urgent, targeted efforts are critical to prevent measles disease and deaths," CDC Global Immunization Division Director John Vertefeuille said in the statement.
On Tuesday, Russian consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said the epidemiological situation of measles in Russia was under control and that 77.5% of citizens from the number of people to be immunized were vaccinated against measles.