Global measles cases almost double in a year – as England faces measles ’emergency’

Measles cases almost doubled worldwide between 2022 and 2023, according to researchers.

There were 321,582 cases worldwide in 2023, an increase of 88% from the previous year, when 171,153 cases were recorded.

The total number of cases for 2024 is expected to at least match last year’s figures, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Some countries could now lose their “elimination status” when it is reviewed in September, WHO’s Dr Patrick O’Connor warned on Saturday at the ESCMID World Congress in Barcelona.

The UK was declared measles-free by the WHO in 2017, but status which was withdrawn in 2019 after an increase in cases.

Measures intended to stop the spread of COVID have also been halted measles transmission, and the UK returned to phase-out status in 2021.

But England is dealing with a measles emergencywith almost 900 cases recorded this year – a sharp increase from 368 cases in all of 2023.

Health workers say the current outbreak, which started in the West Midlands last yearhas now spread to all regions of the country.

The main symptoms of measles are high fever, sore, red eyes, watery eyes, coughing, sneezing, and a rash that usually appears after the first symptoms.

In the UK, measles vaccination was introduced in 1968 and until recently its widespread use had virtually eradicated the disease. But vaccination rate have fallen.

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Dr O’Connor said: “The measles virus is extremely contagious and any gap in vaccination coverage poses a potential risk of an outbreak. Coverage must therefore be high, but also uniform and equitable.

“Large outbreaks and continued transmissions of measles are always a concern and can make achieving and maintaining elimination difficult.”

He said measles vaccination had prevented around 57 million deaths between 2000 and 2022.

The number of countries affected by large or disruptive measles outbreaks – defined as 20 cases per million population continuously over a 12-month period – tripled from 17 to 51.

The majority of measles cases have occurred in low- and middle-income countries. The highest rates in the world were recorded in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Yemen.