UNICEF on March 1 warned that global cases of measles are surging to alarmingly high levels, led by ten countries accounting for more than 74 per cent of the total increase, and several others that had previously been declared measles free. Globally, 98 countries reported more cases of measles in 2018 compared to 2017, eroding progress against this highly preventable, but potentially deadly disease, IPN reports, quoting a press release of UNICEF.
Ukraine, the Philippines and Brazil saw the largest increases in measles cases from 2017 to 2018. In Ukraine alone, there were 35,120 cases of measles in 2018. According to the government, another 24,042 people were infected just in the first two months of 2019. In the Philippines so far this year, there have been 12,736 measles cases and 203 deaths, compared to 15,599 cases in the whole of 2018.
“This is a wake up call. We have a safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine against a highly contagious disease – a vaccine that has saved almost a million lives every year over the last two decades,” said Henrietta H. Fore, UNICEF’s Executive Director, noting that lack of action today will have disastrous consequences for children tomorrow.
Measles is highly contagious, more so than Ebola, tuberculosis or influenza. The virus can be contracted by someone up to two hours after an infected person has left a room. It spreads through air and infects the respiratory tract, potentially killing malnourished children or babies too young to be vaccinated. Once infected, there is no specific treatment for measles, so vaccination is a life-saving tool for children.
Poor health infrastructure, civil strife, low community awareness, complacency and vaccine hesitancy in some cases have led to these outbreaks in both developed and developing countries. For example, in the United States, the number of measles cases increased six-fold between 2017 and 2018, reaching 791 cases. More recently, the U.S. has seen outbreaks in New York and Washington state.
“Almost all of these cases are preventable, and yet children are getting infected even in places where there is simply no excuse,” said Henrietta Fore. “Measles may be the disease, but, all too often, the real infection is misinformation, mistrust and complacency. We must do more to accurately inform every parent, to help us safely vaccinate every child.”
To fight measles, UNICEF is issuing an urgent appeal to governments, health care providers, and parents to do more to contain the disease by understanding that vaccines are safe and effective and can save a child’s life, vaccinating all children between the ages of six months to five years during outbreaks, training and equipping health workers so they can provide quality services, and strengthening immunization programs to deliver all life-saving vaccines.
In Moldova, after three years of lack of cases of measles (2015-2017), 340 cases were recorded in 2018, with most of the cases being logged in the districts of Ceadir Lunga – 164, Vulcănești and Soroca – by 35, Drochia – 21, Ungheni – 20, Chisinau municipality – 19.
