[ad_1]
LONDON (AP) – The World Health Organization said there had been a "dramatic resurgence" of measles in Europe, in part because of refusals to vaccinate, with nearly 90,000 people in the first half of 2019.
In a report released Thursday, the US health agency said the number of measles cases from January to June this year is double that reported for the same period in 2018.
Measles is one of the most infectious diseases in the world and is transmitted mainly through coughing, sneezing and close personal contact.
Although many European countries have put in place stricter vaccination policies, stubborn refusals of vaccines have fueled epidemics across the continent.
Last month, the German government proposed to make measles immunization compulsory for children and employees of kindergartens and schools. there have been more than 400 cases of measles in Germany this year.
With more than 84,000 cases, Ukraine is responsible for the vast majority of measles cases in Europe, followed by Kazakhstan and Georgia. In February, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health announced that eight people had died of measles.
A WHO expert committee said four countries – Albania, the Czech Republic, Greece and the United Kingdom – have now lost their measles elimination status .
Measles can be prevented with two doses of the vaccine, but there is no effective treatment once people are infected.
"If high immunization coverage is not achieved and maintained in all communities, children and adults will suffer needlessly and some will die tragically," said Dr. Guenter Pfaff, chairman of the expert committee of Measles in Europe from WHO.
In some developed countries measles immunization rates fell sharply following the publication of a false study in the late 1990s that combined the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine with autism.
Health officials have worked to dispel misconceptions about the safety of the vaccine.
"Misinformation about vaccines is as contagious and dangerous as the diseases it helps to spread," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus this week.
In 2017, the WHO estimated that about 110,000 people worldwide had died of measles, mostly children under five years old.
We want your news! Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169, email us at [email protected] or [email protected].
[ad_2]
Source link