Measles is an infectious disease caused by a virus that is transmitted through the air, making it very contagious. Fortunately, there has been a vaccine for many years that has prevented its serious consequences, since, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), “vaccination against measles prevented 56 million deaths between 2000 and 2021.” However, vaccination rates have dropped significantly and in 2022 only 83% of children received a dose of the measles vaccine.
Now, the WHO has warned of a dramatic rebound in the incidence of measles, even in those countries where it had been declared eliminated as an endemic disease, and the spread of the virus that causes it has been directly related to the decrease in infection rates. vaccination during the pandemic and post-pandemic. The most worrying thing is that the increase in transmission has accelerated in recent months and in Europe, for example, it has gone from 941 reported cases in 2022 to 42,200 in 2023.
Although measles primarily affects children, in 2023 it has impacted all age groups, with significant differences in the age distribution of cases between countries. Overall, two in five cases were in children ages 1 to 4, and one in five cases were in adults ages 20 and older. From the beginning of the year to October, 20,918 patients hospitalized due to measles were reported, and two countries reported five measles-related deaths.
The WHO reminds that we do not have a specific treatment for this pathology and that it can trigger serious complications such as blindness, encephalitis, acute diarrhea, ear infections and pneumonia. Furthermore, it indicates that this increase in transmission that has accelerated in recent months is expected to continue if urgent measures are not adopted.
Fewer vaccines and more travel have favored the spread of measles
According to WHO data, reported national coverage with the first dose of the vaccine in the European region decreased from 96% in 2019 to 93% in 2022, while coverage of the second dose fell from 92% in 2019 to 91% in 2022. In total, between 2020 and 2022, more than 1.8 million infants were not immunized against measles, also commonly known as measles.
The resumption of domestic and international travel and the lifting of social and public health measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the risk of cross-border transmission of the disease and spread within communities, especially in unvaccinated ones. or insufficiently vaccinated.
Cases have been reported in many countries where measles has been declared eliminated as an endemic disease, but if very high rates of routine childhood vaccination (at least 95%) are not maintained in all communities, countries that have achieved elimination of measles continue to run the risk of major outbreaks occurring after the virus is imported from other latitudes, says the UN agency.
“Vaccination is the only way to protect children from this potentially dangerous disease. “It is vital that all countries are prepared to quickly detect and respond in time to measles outbreaks.”
The WHO in Europe has indicated that systematic immunization campaigns have begun in several countries in the region, while it is supporting countries with large outbreaks to investigate, identify and vaccinate contacts susceptible to developing the disease. It also supports the implementation of infection control in healthcare, raising public awareness, improving disease surveillance, and planning and implementing outbreak response immunization.
However, it warns that all countries, even those that do not yet have measles transmission, carefully evaluate their immunity gaps and program deficiencies and take immediate steps to address them. “Vaccination is the only way to protect children from this potentially dangerous disease. Urgent efforts are needed to stop transmission and prevent further spread. It is vital that all countries are prepared to quickly detect and respond in time to measles outbreaks, which could jeopardize progress towards its elimination,” said recently the director of the WHO in Europe, Hans Henri P. Kluge.
To move back toward measles elimination, it is imperative that countries achieve and maintain greater than 95% coverage with two doses of measles-containing vaccines. Therefore, all countries must prioritize achieving high routine vaccination coverage and closing immunity gaps, WHO experts conclude.
Source: World Health Organization (WHO)
