London. There is an imminent threat of measles spreading to several regions of the world, as covid-19 has caused a decline in vaccination coverage and a weakening of disease surveillance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for disease prevention (US CDC).
Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses and is almost entirely preventable by vaccination. However, it requires coverage of 95% of the population to avoid outbreaks.
A record nearly 40 million children missed a dose of the measles vaccine in 2021 due to obstacles created by the covid-19 pandemic, WHO and CDC said in a joint report.
While measles cases have yet to rise sharply from previous years, now is the time to act, said WHO measles chief Patrick O’Connor.
“We are at a crossroads. It’s going to be a very busy 12-24 months of trying to mitigate that,” she said.
The record number of unimmunized and measles-susceptible children demonstrates the profound damage immunization systems have suffered from the pandemic,” said CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
Measles is spread via airborne particles or physical contact and causes symptoms such as fever, body aches, and rashes on the face and neck.
