WHO warns of 'decline' in measles control as cases soar

GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday that efforts to stem the spread of measles are "regressing," with the number of cases in the world rising nearly 50 percent last year.
The UN Health Agency has reported preliminary data showing that the worrying trend of measles cases to resurgence was manifesting globally, including in affluent countries where vaccination coverage was historically high .
"Our data show that there is a substantial increase in measles cases. We are seeing this in all regions, "Katherine O'Brien, director of immunization, vaccines and biologics at WHO, told reporters.
"We have prolonged, important and growing epidemics," she said. "This is not an isolated problem."
O'Brien pointed out that less than 10% of measles cases are reported.
"So when we see the reported cases increase by 50%, we know we are going in the wrong direction," she said, adding that the actual number of infections was "several million".
Countries have until April to report to WHO measles cases recorded in 2018.
The agency said, however, that data received so far showed that about 229,000 cases had already been reported, compared with 170,000 in 2017.
Last year, measles caused an estimated 136,000 deaths worldwide, according to preliminary WHO figures.
Measles is a very contagious disease that can cause severe diarrhea, pneumonia and vision loss. It can be fatal in some cases and remains "a leading cause of death in young children," according to WHO.

This is frustrating because the disease can be easily prevented with two doses of a "safe and effective" vaccine used since the 1960s, the UN agency said.
Until 2016, the number of measles cases had steadily decreased, but since 2017, the number has increased, according to Katrina Kretsinger, who runs WHO's Expanded Program on Immunization.
"Several epidemics (…) are behind some of these increases," she told reporters, citing significant epidemics in Ukraine, Madagascar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, and other countries. Sierra Leone.
In Madagascar alone, "from October 2018 to February 12, 2019, 66,278 cases and 922 deaths were reported," said WHO.
The problem lies in the lack of access to the vaccine in the poorest countries, marginalized communities and states in conflict.
Meanwhile, in Europe and other rich regions, experts attribute the problem in part to complacency and misinformation about the vaccine.
The upsurge of the disease in some countries is linked to unsubstantiated medical claims linking measles vaccine to autism, which have been partly disseminated on social media by members of the so-called "anti-vax" movement .
"We are retreating on progress," said O'Brien.
"And we do not back down because we do not have the tools to prevent that. We have the tools to prevent measles, "she said.
"We are backing away because of the failure of vaccination."