Poor vaccine coverage has fueled a 20 per cent spike in measles cases across the world, with 10.3 million people struck by the preventable illness in 2023, the World Health Organization said in a joint statement with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Inadequate immunization coverage globally is driving the surge in cases," of what was once a common childhood disease, said the health agency.
"The number of measles infections is rising around the globe, endangering lives and health," CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in the statement. "The measles vaccine is our best protection against the virus, and we must continue to invest in efforts to increase access.
" "Measles vaccine has saved more lives than any other vaccine in the past 50 years," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said in the statement. "To save even more lives and stop this deadly virus from harming the most vulnerable, we must invest in immunization for every person, no matter where they live.
" What do the figures say? According to the health agencies, more than 22 million children did not receive a first dose of the two-dose measles vaccine in 2023. Globally approximately 83 per cent of children received a first dose of the vaccine last year, and 74 per cent received a second dose. Health officials recommend vaccination coverage of at least 95 per cent in communities to prevent outbreaks.
An infected person can spread the highly contagious disease to up to 90 per cent of people .