The number of measles cases around the world is increasing, while vaccination coverage is stagnating. In 2023, 10.3 million cases of this highly contagious viral disease will be recorded, an increase of 20% compared to the previous year, according to estimates published jointly on Thursday, November 14, by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States. government agency the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This clear increase is mainly due to insufficient vaccination coverage in many countries. Globally, it is estimated that 83% of children have received a first vaccine dose and only 74% have received a second injection. However, for a population to be immunized, we consider that 95% of children must have access to this two-dose vaccination schedule.
Access to these vaccines has been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, reaching vaccination coverage of only 81% in 2021, the lowest level since 2008. While many efforts have been made to reach approximately 22 With millions of children unprotected against the virus, vaccination coverage still remains below pre-pandemic levels (86% in 2019). As a result, 57 countries experienced a major measles epidemic in 2023, mainly in Africa, the Near East, the Middle East and South Asia.
Despite this increase in cases in one year, the number of deaths from the disease decreased by 8%, from 116,800 victims in 2022 to 107,500 in 2023. This is explained in particular by for the fact that “The increase in cases has occurred in countries and regions where children with measles are less likely to die, due to better nutritional status and better access to health services”the organizations explain in a press release published on Thursday.
In the WHO European region, a vast territory stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and bringing together 53 countries, the number of patients skyrocketed in 2023, going from an incidence of 0.9 cases per million of inhabitants in 2022 to 74.7 in 2023. On the Central Asian side, Kazakhstan accounts for almost half of this increase, while in the European Union, Romania. It is one of the most affected countries.
Possible eradication
“The increase in cases is certainly significant in the European region, but from a low threshold”clarifies Natasha Crowcroft, WHO technical advisor for measles and rubella. Mortality is lower there than in other places (22 deaths in 2023) because vaccination coverage is high, 95% for the first dose and 91% for the second. “But more than 70% of deaths occur in Africa”the advisor specifies, with nearly 76,000 deaths in 2023.
You have 30.89% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
