UN panics over increasing measles epidemic

The United Nations (UN) has expressed worries over the rise in Measles cases across the world.

According to the organisation, measles cases rose by 300 per cent through the first three months of 2019 compared to the same period last year, as concerns grow over declining vaccination.

It lamented the slip in global vaccination rate despite chances of preventing the highly contagious diseases through a two-dose vaccine.

In a statement on Monday, WHO said only about 1 in 10 actual measles cases is reported, meaning the early trends for 2019 likely underestimate the severity of the outbreaks.

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So far this year, 170 countries have reported 112,163 measles cases to WHO. At this time last year, 163 countries had reported 28,124 cases

It stated, “While this data is provisional and not yet complete, it indicates a clear trend. Many countries are in the midst of sizeable measles outbreaks, with all regions of the world experiencing sustained rises in cases.

“Spikes in case numbers have also occurred in countries with high overall vaccination coverage, including the United States.

The disease has spread fast among clusters of unvaccinated people.”

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