Covid disrupted routine measles vaccinations worldwide in 2020 and 2021. This left millions of children – especially in poorer countries – unprotected against one of the most contagious diseases in the world.
UNICEF Ethiopia/2022/Mulugeta Ayene (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED)
The World Health Organization (WHO) is sounding the alarm: the number of measles cases has almost doubled in the past year to almost 322,000 cases worldwide, compared to 171,000 in 2022.
However, the most worrying trend according to the WHO is the number of countries experiencing ‘a large-scale or disruptive outbreak of measles’. That number tripled from 17 in 2022 to as many as 51 last year.
Such an outbreak is defined as at least twenty cases of measles per million inhabitants in a year.
“Such large outbreaks and continued transmission of measles always raise concerns and make permanent eradication of the disease difficult,” WHO expert Patrick O’Connor said as he presented the figures at a conference in Barcelona this weekend.
The storm does not seem to be subsiding yet. This year, the world is on track to at least match 2023’s figures. Europe and countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan are particularly hard hit, with almost half of all cases recorded this year.
Pandemic
The cause behind the increase? The WHO points an accusing finger at the Covid-19 pandemic. The childhood disease was already on the rise in 2019, especially in Africa, but the corona pandemic caused a temporary decrease in its spread worldwide due to quarantine measures, among other things.
However, the measles vaccination campaign also stalled during the pandemic. WHO figures show that a record number of 40 million children were not vaccinated in 2021. Public health experts are calling it the biggest setback in the fight against measles in a generation.
Inequality
Measles usually causes high fever, cough and rash. In pregnant women, the disease increases the risk of miscarriage and premature birth.
Low-income countries are most likely to die from the disease and are also disproportionately affected by the current rise in cases. Their share of the absolute number of cases worldwide has increased from 80 percent in 2017 to 95 percent in 2022. In wealthy countries, that percentage has fallen from 5 percent to 1 percent during the same period.
“Over the past two decades, significant progress has been made in eradicating measles,” O’Connor said at the conference. “To consolidate and sustain this progress, we must ensure high, uniform and equitable coverage of routine vaccinations. In addition, in the event of outbreaks in inaccessible areas, we must ensure a rapid response and a robust action plan.”
