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The World Health Organization said the number of measles cases was increasing worldwide, especially in Europe and Latin America, partly because of parents' reluctance to vaccinate their children.
About 173,000 cases of measles were reported worldwide in 2017, an increase of over 30% over the previous year, the WHO said in a report released Thursday. The actual number of cases was estimated at 6.7 million last year, according to Reuters.
Last year, about 110,000 people, mostly children, died as a result of the disease, which can be prevented by vaccination.
"What is even more worrying about this increase (…), is that we are seeing the gradual onset of measles in countries that are no longer infected for several years," he said. Martin Freida, Acting Director, Vaccines, Vaccines and Biologicals Division.
"It indicates that we are seeing a setback in some cases."
A highly contagious disease can be fatal or lead to hearing loss or mental illness in children. It is often indicative of other diseases such as diphtheria in unvaccinated populations.
"We are seeing an increase in data for 2018 and this increase seems stable, so we are worried that what started as a sudden increase will turn into a trend," Freida said.
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