Despite the health threat, the number of vaccinated children is declining in many countries. The number of measles cases worldwide rose sharply in 2019, according to a joint report released on 12 November by WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year, 869,770 people were infected with measles, the highest number since 1996. In addition, the death rate from measles has doubled since 2016, even though many consider it a harmless childhood illness. Last year, about 207,500 people died from measles worldwide. Experts attribute the grim situation to the fact that many children are not receiving the required double vaccination with MCV1 and MCV2 vaccines in time, which provides protection against measles. To effectively control the spread of the virus, 95% of the population should be vaccinated. The global average vaccination coverage for MCV1 is 85% and for MCV2 71%.
“Science has long known how to prevent measles outbreaks. We must work together to ensure that everyone is vaccinated,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, commenting on the data released.
In 2020, despite its importance, the fight against Covid-19 has hindered vaccination against other diseases. In 26 countries, planned measles vaccinations for 94 million people were postponed because of the quarantine, and only eight (Brazil, Nepal, the Philippines, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Somalia) have resumed. “Covid-19, dangerous in itself, also leads to an increase in morbidity and mortality from measles, which also knows no borders,” says American Red Cross President Gail McGovern.
In 2019, the largest measles outbreak in 23 years was reported worldwide. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. The number of episodes should remain the same. The end of the story: Podcast Advertising “The fight against one killer disease should not come at the expense of another. It is essential to continue immunization against all infections for which vaccines exist,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Although Covid-19 is consuming the world’s health care, the fight against other infections must not be weakened. Measles is completely preventable, and no one should die from it,” said Seth Berkley, head of Gavi, the international organization dedicated to immunizing people in poor countries.
The measles virus is highly contagious, warns American epidemiologist Robert Linkins. On November 6, WHO and UNICEF called on governments to take urgent action to prevent the spread of measles and polio. “The fight against Covid-19 is critical. But there are other deadly diseases that threaten millions of people in the poorest countries,” the document says. Specialized UN bodies are particularly concerned about the situation in Nigeria, Africa’s largest country with a population of 200 million. The measles vaccination rate there is only 54%. In recent days, more than 70 people have died from a yellow fever outbreak in the two southern states of Delta and Enugu. In the neighboring state of Benue, 12 people have died so far from an unidentified infection. According to probably incomplete data, Covid-19 has infected 64,366 people in Nigeria, of whom 1,160 have died.
“The fact that we are witnessing the largest outbreak of measles in a generation is unthinkable, especially when we have a safe, cost-effective and proven vaccine. No child should die from a preventable disease like this,” said Elizabeth Kassens, President of the United Nations Foundation.
Difficulties with vaccination against measles and some other diseases exist even in developed countries. However, these difficulties are not due to poverty, but rather to myths, prejudices, and misinformation. The anti-vaxxer movement has been around as long as vaccines themselves. In Britain, as early as 1772, the Reverend Edmund Massey gained notoriety for his sermons calling smallpox vaccination a devilish act.
Scientists have proven that there is no causal link between autism and the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. In recent years, it has become much more active thanks to British doctor Andrew Wakefield, who claimed in a 1998 article that the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine causes autism in children. Although the data in that article were later refuted, and Dr. Wakefield himself was stripped of his medical license for scientific misconduct, the seeds he sowed have sprouted. The percentage of children vaccinated against measles in the United Kingdom fell from 92% in 1996 to 84% in 2002, and in some areas of London it dropped to 60%. As a result, after six years, it was officially recognized that measles had returned to the UK and there were fatal cases again. The same thing happened in other countries where measles was thought to be long gone and where the Wakefield theory spread. In Ireland in 2000, one and a half thousand people became ill, three of whom died. In France, more than 22 thousand people contracted measles between 2008 and 2011. In December 2014, 125 people were infected with measles at Disneyland in California, prompting the state of California to pass a mandatory vaccination law for children. A measles outbreak occurred in Russia in 2018. The number of infected cases increased by 3.5 times. Experts explained this by the increased resistance of the population to vaccination. According to the Moscow Department of Health, in nearly 80% of cases among unvaccinated children against measles in the city, the main reason was the refusal of parents. According to surveys, 22-27 percent of citizens in Russia regularly refuse vaccinations.