There is now an imminent threat of the spread of measles in various parts of the world, as the Covid pandemic has led to a steady decline in vaccination coverage and weakened disease surveillance, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses and is almost entirely preventable by vaccination. However, 95% vaccination coverage is needed to prevent epidemics among populations.
A record nearly 40 million children missed a dose of measles vaccine in 2021 due to barriers created by the Covid pandemic, the WHO and CDC said in a joint report.
While measles cases have not yet risen dramatically from previous years, now is the time to act, WHO measles chief Dr Patrick O’Connor told Reuters.
“We are at a crossroads,” he said on Tuesday. “It will be a very difficult 12 to 24 months to try to mitigate this.”
A combination of factors, such as persistent social distancing measures and the cyclical nature of measles, may explain why there has yet to be an explosion of cases despite widening immune gaps, but that could change quickly. , O’Connor said, emphasizing the highly contagious nature of the disease.
The UN health agency has already seen an increase in major disruptive outbreaks since the start of the year, from 19 to nearly 30 in September, he said, adding he was particularly concerned about parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
Last week, the Columbus, Ohio, public health department reported a measles outbreak with 24 active cases, according to NBC News affiliate WCMH. All these cases concern unvaccinated children.
A case of measles often begins with a fever, but the illness is usually characterized by a rash that usually begins to spread from the face and neck after a few days. The virus can persist in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours, and an infected person can transmit the virus for up to four days before and after the rash appears, according to the WHO. There is no specific antiviral to treat measles.
The new report estimates that in 2021 around 128,000 people died of measles worldwide.