Why measles cases have risen by 20% across the world

Cases of measles are increasing worldwide.

According to a study, about 10 million people caught the world’s most infectious disease last year, a 20 per cent rise compared with 2022.

A decline in vaccination coverage is the primary driver of a rise in disease cases.

The study cautioned that a global target of eliminating measles as an endemic threat by 2030 was “under threat.”

Let’s take a closer look.

Surges in measles cases

In 2023, worldwide there were an estimated 10.3 million measles cases, according to a joint publication by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The health bodies said about 107,500 people, including young children, died an “unacceptable” death from a disease that’s preventable through vaccination.

There was also a 60 per cent rise in the number of major measles outbreak last year.

The study says about 57 countries reported large or disruptive outbreak, with nearly half of them in Africa. The total number of outbreaks is quite higher than 36 in 2022.

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Apart from the African region, a substantial upsurge in cases was reported in the Eastern Mediterranean, European, Southeast Asian and Western Pacific regions, the report said.

Notably, 2023 also witnessed an eight per cent decline in measles-related death than the year before. This is because the outbreaks occurred in parts of the world where child had better access to health and nutrition.

Also read:  Why the US, the UK are losing their measles-free status

Decline in vaccination

Global vaccination rates are dropping, which is contributing to an increase in measles infections.

Despite being deadly the infection can be prevented with two doses of the very effective measles vaccine. Two doses are 97 per cent effective against measles, compared to 93 per cent with a single dose.

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In the last 50 years, the disease was completely eradicated in 82 nations.

But the world has fallen short due to a shortage of vaccinations and misinformation.

“At this moment, every single country in the world has access to  measles  vaccine, so there’s no reason why any child should be infected with the disease and no child should die from  measles,” WHO’s Natasha Crowcroft, a senior technical adviser on  Measles  and Rubella, told reporters.

Vaccine hesitancy has been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic as people lost confidence in the importance of routine childhood vaccines against diseases such as  measles  and polio.

Because measles is extremely contagious, 95 per cent of the population must be completely vaccinated in order to offer some protection to those who are not, especially small children who cannot receive vaccinations.

According to health organisations, just 74 per cent of children globally received the necessary second dose of the measles vaccination in 2023, while 83 per cent of children had their first dose. Nearly 22 million children did not receive any vaccinations at all.

For four consecutive years, the United States’ measles vaccine coverage has fallen considerably short of the federal target due to a decline in kindergarten vaccines rates.

In October, CDC data showed that the measles vaccination rate for kindergarteners dropped to 92.7 per cent coverage for the 2023–24 school year. As of November 7, the CDC stated that there had been 16 outbreaks and 266 measles cases in the US in 2024 alone.

In 2021, India had the highest number of ‘zero-dose children’ worldwide, with 2.7 million children missing essential vaccinations due to the COVID-19-induced lockdowns that disrupted vaccination programmes.

Although India’s global ranking has improved since then, it still remains the second-highest country for unvaccinated children trailing only Nigeria, with 2.1 million zero-dose children recorded in the same year. According to another WHO report published earlier , in 2023, 1.6 million children in India did not receive a single dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine or the measles-containing vaccine (MCV).

“Measles vaccine has saved more lives than any other vaccine in the past 50 years. To save even more lives and stop this deadly virus from harming the most vulnerable, we must invest in immunisation for every person, no matter where they live,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

CDC director Mandy Cohen said: “The measles vaccine is our best protection against the virus, and we must continue to invest in efforts to increase access.”

Measles and its symptoms

Measles is caused by an airborne virus that mostly affects children under the age of five, but it is preventable with two doses of the  measles  shot.

According to a number of studies, children who have weakened immune systems as a result of malnutrition or other underlying diseases are more prone to measles-related deaths.

Up to three out of every 1,000 children who contract measles may die due to respiratory and neurological problems, according to the CDC.

In addition to the typical symptoms of fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes, and a red spot rash, measles can cause long-term health issues, especially in young children and babies.

Additionally, the infection may result in pneumonia, brain damage, and blindness. The CDC estimates that one in 20 children who have measles will develop pneumonia.

With inputs from agencies