After years of declining measles vaccination coverage, global measles cases are expected to increase by 18% in 2022 and death rates by 43% (compared to 2021). According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of measles cases has reached 9 million and the number of deaths has reached 136,000, mostly among children.
Measles continues to pose a threat to children. In 2022, 37 countries experienced major measles outbreaks, compared to 22 countries in 2021. Of the countries with outbreaks, 28 were in the African region, six in the Eastern Mediterranean, two in Southeast Asia and one in the European region.
"The increase in measles outbreaks and deaths is staggering, but unfortunately not unexpected given the decline in vaccination rates we've seen over the past few years," said John Vertefei, director of the CDC's global division of immunization. "Measles cases anywhere pose a risk to all countries and communities where people are under-vaccinated. Urgent, targeted efforts are critical to preventing measles disease and death."
Measles can be prevented with two doses of the measles vaccine - at one and six years of a child's life. Although there was a modest increase in global vaccination coverage in 2022 compared to 2021, there were still 33 million children who missed a dose of measles vaccine: almost 22 million missed their first dose and another 11 million missed their second dose. Global first-dose (83%) and second-dose (74%) vaccination coverage is still well below the 95% two-dose coverage required to protect communities from disease outbreaks.
Low-income countries, where the risk of death from measles is highest, still have the lowest vaccination rates at just 66%. “The lack of recovery in measles vaccination coverage in low-income countries after the pandemic is an alarming signal for action. Measles is called the virus of inequality for a reason. It is a disease that finds and attacks those who are not protected," said Kate O'Brien, WHO Director of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals. "Children everywhere have the right to be protected by a life-saving measles vaccine, no matter where they live."
The CDC and WHO urge countries to find and vaccinate all children against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
During the last 23 years in Ukraine and the Lviv region, there were 4 outbreaks of measles - in 2001, 2006, 2012 and 2018-2019. Only during the last outbreak, which lasted for 3 years, almost 18 thousand people fell ill with measles in Lviv Oblast. More than 70% of the patients were children, the majority of whom were either not vaccinated against measles or did not have a full course of it. There is a danger that in the coming years there may also be an outbreak of this disease due to the insufficient level of vaccination of the children's population - in the region, 76.5% of one-year-old children and 71.0% of six-year-old children were vaccinated in 10 months of the current year.
We remind you that the only preventive measure to prevent this disease is vaccination!
Check the vaccination status of your children and make up for missed vaccinations!
(using materials from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))
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