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The latest statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding measles cases worldwide have been published and show a disturbing trend.
The number of measles cases reported worldwide in the first three months of 2019 tripled compared to the same period last year. WHO points out that these figures are provisional and that the reality will probably be much greater.
"In the first three months of 2019, more than 110,000 cases of measles were reported worldwide, an increase of nearly 300% over the same period last year. And these numbers represent only a fraction of all the cases that occur, "said in an opinion piece for CNN the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and the director of the UNICEF, Henrietta Fore.
"By the end of your reading, we estimate that at least 40 people, most of them children, will be infected with this rapidly life-threatening disease."
In the first quarter of the year, WHO reported that 170 countries had reported 112,163 cases of measles, compared with 28,124 reported by 163 countries between January and March of last year. WHO also estimates that only one in 10 cases is reported, which is only an average, depending on the region.
Epidemics are occurring all over the world, with the largest number of cases reported in Madagascar, Brazil, Yemen, Ethiopia, Sudan and Pakistan. In Madagascar, 69,000 cases have been reported and more than 1,200 people have died as a result of the virus since October 2018. Ukraine has been affected by 72,000 cases and the Philippines reports 19,000 cases. Cases reported in Africa increased by 700% in 2019 in Europe, 300% in Europe, 100% in the Eastern Mediterranean, 60% in South America and 40% in South East Asia.
According to WHO, for several years, the global coverage of the first doses of measles vaccine has stagnated at 85%, far from the 95% needed for the virus can not maintain itself. The coverage of the second dose, while increasing, is still only 67%.
This is largely because of epidemics in countries without a strong health system, and poverty and conflict that prevent children from accessing basic vaccines.
According to the WHO, this spike is partly due to the high number of measles cases reported in countries such as the United States, Israel, Thailand and the Philippines, which have already eliminated measles, have access to Infrastructure and to vaccinate all its citizens and previously had high immunization coverage.
"[W]In many countries, parents are demanding vaccinations, public uncertainty about the need for and safety of vaccination threatens gains elsewhere, "write Ghebreyesus and Fore.
"This uncertainty can be fueled by the proliferation of confusing and contradictory online information. Dishonesty and distortions regarding vaccines are not new. But in the digital age, myths can spread as quickly and as far as a computer virus. "
This is not just the MMR vaccine that is taking a hit. Misinformation about vaccines against HPV, diphtheria, chicken pox and tetanus means that cases are multiplying in places where they have not been seen for decades. This year, WHO added anti-vaxxers to its annual list of top 10 health threats for the first time, while the World Economic Forum added "the unnecessary spread of infectious diseases" to its own report. the top 10 threats, published in 2019. The message is clear: the known dangers of not vaccinating far outweigh the perceived dangers.
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