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GENEVA (Reuters) – The number of measles cases is increasing worldwide, especially in Europe and Latin America, because of the reluctance of parents to vaccinate their children, said the World Health Organization (WHO).
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.
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 have not been infected for several years," he said. Martin Freida, Acting Director, Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, FAO.
"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.
Last year, Germany, the Russian Federation and Venezuela experienced severe measles outbreaks, which led to the withdrawal of certificates of absence due to the emergence of intermittent diseases.
"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 is turning into a trend," Freda said.
Prepared by Lilian Wajdi for publication in Arabic – Edit Saha Jado
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