More than 100,000 people died of measles in 2017

A mother, on the left, watches a nurse look after her young child with measles in a hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. – AFP archive photo

Geneva: More than 100,000 people died of measles in 2017 because of countries that have stopped and have not taken enough care to implement their vaccination programs, said the World Health Organization. .

Countries around the world have reported outbreaks of measles, which would have resulted in about 110,000 deaths.

The Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe were particularly affected, with the Western Pacific being the only region to record a decline in measles cases.

"The reappearance of measles is a source of serious concern, with prolonged outbreaks in all regions, especially in countries that have reached or are on the verge of eliminating measles," said Dr Soumya Swaminathan Deputy Director General of Programs at WHO.

"Without urgent efforts to increase immunization coverage and identify populations with unacceptable levels of under-immunized or non-immunized children, we risk losing decades of progress in protecting children and communities from this devastating disease. but totally avoidable. "

The 2018 Global Vaccine Action Plan Assessment Report, aimed at curbing the spread of several diseases – including measles, rubella, maternal and neonatal tetanus, and wild poliovirus – said that countries had canceled some of their vaccination programs after falling asleep a sense of false security as to the extent of the spread of their vaccination campaigns.

"This year clearly shows how easy it is to lose hard-earned gains," the report says.

"Due to low national coverage or insufficient coverage, many parts of WHO have been affected by large outbreaks of measles and diphtheria, which have caused many deaths.

To stimulate action, the Global Plan of Action for Vaccines sets ambitious targets, and most goals will not be achieved by the end of the Vaccine Decade in 2020.

"Immunization coverage against DTP3 (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis) and the first dose against measles reached a global plateau of 85%," he added. too slow to be completed by the end of the decade. "

While the Western Pacific Region has reached its lowest ever measles rate and two countries have been declared to have eliminated rubella, vaccination activities in the South-East Asia Region have resulted in the eradication of measles. 39, avoid about 622,000 deaths from measles in 2017.

However, 19.9 million children were under-vaccinated in 2017, four out of six regions experienced a large outbreak of measles and several countries and one region lost their measles elimination status.

The measles epidemics in 2017 led the Americas to lose their status of measles elimination in 2018.

Between 2000 and 2016, measles vaccinations prevented an estimated 20.4 million deaths.

"The elimination of measles has taken a step back in 2017," the report added.

Although the incidence of measles has more than halved since 2010, it has increased from 19 to 25 cases per million in 2017, with increases observed in four of the six regions of WHO.

Significant outbreaks have occurred worldwide and a major epidemic in Venezuela, affecting also other countries in the Americas, has helped to restore endemic measles transmission in Venezuela.

According to the report, "Epidemics in North America and Europe highlight that measles can easily spread even in countries with mature health systems. Because of outbreaks, measles is again considered endemic in Germany. and in Russia. Measles outbreaks have been observed in countries reporting satisfactory national immunization coverage, evidence of immunization gaps, and highlighting the need to ensure high subnational coverage, particularly among vulnerable populations. "

WHO recommends the use of preventive measures such as routine immunization programs to stop the onset of such diseases and adds that the cost of managing such an epidemic could be 20 times higher than that of prevention. .

"The deteriorating socio-economic situation in Venezuela has had a significant impact on its health infrastructure, including its immunization services," the report says.

"The resulting measles and diphtheria epidemics have also spread to other countries in the region. Released from diphtheria for 24 years, Venezuela has now undergone more than 1,600 suspected cases between 2016 and the middle of 2018.

The resurgence of measles has also led the region to lose its status of measles elimination, only two years after its securing in 2016. "

According to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), measles symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes, which may indicate signs of conjunctivitis.

Once these early symptoms have been present for a few days, patients can develop white spots – also called Koplik spots – in the mouth.

"Three to five days after the onset of symptoms, a skin rash occurs. It usually starts with red, flat spots that appear on the face at the root of the hair and spread down to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet, "said a spokesman. word of the CDC.

"Small raised bumps may also appear above the flat red spots. The spots can become attached as they spread from the head to the rest of the body. When the rash appears, the fever can reach more than 40 ° C (40 ° C). After a few days, the fever decreases and the rash disappears. "