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REUTERS – Geneva – Switzerland
All regions of the world, with the exception of the Americas, record an increase in the number of measles cases, announced Thursday the World Health Organization (WHO).
Kate O. Brien, WHO leader, blamed poor health systems and misinformation on immunization, and called on social media platforms and communities to provide accurate information on ways to reduce the spread of infection.
"We're backing down, we're on the wrong track," said O & # 39; Brien, head of the vaccines, vaccines and biology department of the WHO.
"We are concerned that all regions are experiencing an increase in measles, with the exception of the Americas, which have experienced a slight decline," she said.
Measles is a disease that can lead to death or disability in the child and can be prevented by vaccination.
Health experts say the virus has spread among school-aged children whose parents refused to give them the vaccine.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between January and July this year, more than three times more cases were reported than during the same period in 2018.
The number of cases in the world has reached 365,000 this year, the highest number since 2006, she added, adding that this figure represents only a small percentage of the 6.7 million suspected cases. .
The latest statistics indicate that measles caused about 109,000 deaths in 2017.
The largest epidemic occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (155,460 cases), followed by Madagascar (127,454) and Ukraine (54,246).
The disease has also decreased in Europe. In 2018, four countries lost the "measles-free" characterization: Albania, the Czech Republic, Greece and Great Britain.
The United States has reported 1,215 cases of measles in 30 states, the worst epidemic in the country since 1992, health officials said Monday.
Source of the image: REUTERS
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