WHO warns of measles outbreaks in more than half of the world

The World Health Organisation has issued a warning that by the end of the year, more than half of the world’s nations will be at high risk of measles outbreaks.

Most parts of the world have seen an increase in cases of the highly contagious disease in recent years, primarily as a result of health systems falling behind on routine immunisations against preventable diseases during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Measles vaccination rates are currently 83% worldwide, which is less than the 95% required to completely eradicate the illness.

The WHO estimates that 142 million children worldwide will be at risk of contracting the measles by 2024, with the majority living in low- and middle-income nations.

More from World

This Week in Explainers: How recovering from Gen-Z protests is a Himalayan task for Nepal Zohran Mamdani says he would arrest Netanyahu if he is elected as NYC mayor, calls Israeli PM 'war criminal'

“What we are worried about is this year we’ve got big gaps in our immunisation programmes and if we don’t fill them really quickly with the vaccine, measles will just jump into that gap,” Natasha Crowcroft, a Senior Technical Adviser on Measles and Rubella at the WHO, told a Geneva press briefing on Wednesday.

Confirmed cases jumped to 300,000 in 2023, a 79 per cent increase from 2022, according to WHO data. This is a fraction of the nine million infections estimated to occur every year.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

‘The cries of this widow will echo’: In first public remarks, Erika Kirk warns Charlie’s killers they’ve ‘unleashed a fire’

Trump urges Nato to back sanctions on Russia, calls for 50–100% tariffs on China

Outbreaks have recently been reported in America, Australia, Africa, Central Asia, and Europe, where infections were 44 times higher in the first two months of 2024 compared to the same period for 2023.

In Britain, measles cases have soared to their highest level since the 1990s – prompting the UK Health Security Agency to declare a national incident last month.

Since October, 347 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported in England, compared to just 53 cases for 2022.

Measles can affect any age group, but complications are more acute in those under five and over 30 years. If contracted in pregnancy, the disease can lead to stillbirth, miscarriage, or premature birth.

Symptoms usually begin 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus, and include a prominent rash, running rose, cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots inside the cheeks.

Complications include blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea, and breathing problems including pneumonia.

At least 130,000 people are suspected to have died of measles in 2022, according to WHO modelling, with the death toll expected to be much higher in 2024 as infections rise.

“In 2024, a death from measles should not be acceptable. We have a very effective safe vaccine that should prevent deaths from measles everywhere,” said Ms Crowcroft.

With inputs from AFP