As the virus exploits dangerous gaps in vaccination coverage, the World Health Organization (WHO) experts stated on Friday that measles may be staging a comeback that will surely be destructive.
The WHO department director Kate O’Brien states that the entire world “is facing an alarming upsurge in measles cases in all regions”.
“The impact of these outbreaks is really devastating,” she said, “causing not only widespread loss of life, but also preventable disability that is affecting family livelihoods and national economies, and straining healthcare systems.”
Latest WHO global data show that reported cases of measles - which is one of the world’s most contagious diseases - rose by 300 percent globally in the first three months of this year compared to the same period in 2018. This follows consecutive increases over the past two years.
There is no specific antiviral treatment for measles, but it can be prevented with two doses of vaccine. The vast majority of cases of infection are in unvaccinated or under-vaccinated people.
Learn more about the disease over at Reuters.
(Image Credit: Tumisu/ Pixabay)