Measles cases nearly quadrupled in the first quarter of 2019 – WHO

GENEVA (Reuters) – The number of measles cases worldwide has almost quadrupled in the first quarter of 2019 to reach 112,163 people compared to the same period last year, said Monday. World Health Organization (WHO), citing provisional data.

Higher rates of preventable but contagious diseases – which can kill a child or make him blind, deaf or have brain damage – have been recorded in all regions, the UN agency said in a statement, calling for better immunization coverage.

New epidemics have struck the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sudan, Thailand and Ukraine, "causing many deaths, mostly among young children, "said WHO.

He did not provide figures on deaths but indicated that he estimates that only one in 10 cases is reported worldwide.

"In recent months, the number of cases has also increased in countries with high overall immunization coverage, especially in the United States of America, as well as in Israel, Thailand, and Tunisia. disease being spread rapidly among groups of unvaccinated people, "said the president. WHO statement said.

US health authorities announced Monday that the number of confirmed measles cases in the United States jumped nearly 20 percent in the week ending April 11 – the country's second-worst epidemic in nearly two decades.

In the United States, an increasing number of parents are opposed to measles vaccines because, contrary to scientific evidence, some ingredients can cause autism or other disorders.

Increasing immunization coverage maximizes protection of the population, said WHO. Global coverage with the first dose has "stagnated" at 85%, compared to 95% needed to prevent epidemics, while 25 countries still do not include a second dose in their national programs, he added.