In the first half of 2019, the highest number of measles cases have been recorded since 2006. It is one of the worries data provided yesterday by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the progress of the disease in the world.
Already the agency had warned of the growth of measles during the first quarter by 300 percent compared to the same dates of 2018. The fall of vaccination, the main trigger.
Without counting many more cases
Since January, 182 countries have reported 364,808 measles cases, almost three times those counted in the same period last year. But there is more, as WHO warns, since these are provisional figures as countries are still reporting cases. In fact, calculate that "Just pick up one in 10 real cases."
In Babies and more Measles alert in Europe: which are the most affected countriesThe Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar and Ukraine have reported the largest number of cases this year. However, cases have declined greatly in Madagascar in recent months as a result of national measles emergency vaccination campaigns, which highlights the effectiveness of vaccination to end outbreaks and protect health.
Major outbreaks are occurring in Angola, Cameroon, Chad, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Thailand.
Danger of rapid spread
WHO reports that the largest outbreaks occur in countries with low measles vaccination coverage, now or in the past, which has left a large number of people vulnerable to the disease.
At the same time, outbreaks are occurring even in countries with high national vaccination rates. This is due to inequities in vaccine coverage, and gaps and disparities between communities, geographic areas and age groups. When a sufficient number of people who are not immune are exposed to measles, it can spread very quickly.
In Babies and more, New York passes a law to end exemptions to vaccines for religious reasonsGroup immunity (at least 95% of vaccinated people) is needed not only to protect immunocompromised people, but also to newborns or babies who have not yet received all their vaccines, pregnant women for whom certain vaccines are contraindicated, and people old women
The United States has reported the highest number of measles cases in 25 years. And in Europe about 90,000 cases have been registered in the first six months of this year, which exceeds those registered in the whole year 2018 (84,462), the highest in the current decade.
The reasons why people are not vaccinated vary significantly between countries:
Lack of access to health services or quality vaccination.
Conflicts and displacements.
Erroneous information about vaccines.
Lack of awareness about the need to vaccinate.
In fact, according to WHO, measles is spreading among older children, youth and adults who have not been vaccinated in the past.
According to WHO and UNICEF coverage data published in July 2019, 86% of children have received the first dose of measles vaccine and 69% the second. This means that around 20 million children in 2018 did not receive the measles vaccine through their systematic vaccination programs.
In addition, 23 countries have not yet introduced the second dose of measles vaccine into their national list.
Protect yourself before traveling
WHO urges us to verify that the measles vaccine is up to date, with the two doses administered correctly before traveling.
In Babies and more The AEP advises vaccinating measles for children under one year of age who travel with extended stays to countries affected by the outbreakAccording to their latest travel recommendations, all those older than 6 months should be protected against measles before traveling to an area where there is an outbreak of the disease.
And if you are not up to date, it is recommended to get the measles vaccine at least 15 days before the trip.
What you need to know about measles
It is one of the most contagious viral diseases that exist, especially affects children and that can be extremely serious, as explained by WHO.
Most patients recover within 2 or 3 weeks, but not always: measles can cause serious complications, such as blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhea, ear infections and pneumonia.
The complications caused by measles end up in a hospitalization in up to a quarter of the cases, and can cause serious sequelae for a lifetime, such as brain damage and loss of vision and hearing.
There is no specific treatment for measles although it can be prevented effectively and safely with vaccination. The measles vaccine is part of the triple viral with rubella and mumps. According to the AEP vaccine schedule, a first dose is administered between 12 and 15 months and a second booster dose between two and four years.
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