Unicef is alarmed by the resurgence of measles cases in the world and particularly in France, despite the existence of an “effective and inexpensive vaccine”.
Unicef was alarmed on Friday March 1 by the return of measles in 98 countries which reported a greater number of cases in 2018 than in 2017, despite the fact that there is a vaccine. The resurgence of measles cases around the world is hampering progress in curbing the disease, note the authors of this report.
“It’s a wake-up call, said Henrietta Fore, director general of Unice. We have a safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine against a highly contagious disease – a vaccine that has saved nearly a million lives every year for the past two decades.”.
170,000 cases in 2017 compared to 229,000 in 2018
Among the countries concerned are theUkraine, the Philippines and Brazil where the highest annual increase in cases has been recorded. In 2018, 35,120 cases were diagnosed in Ukraine, about 30,000 more than the previous year, and 13,192 cases were diagnosed in the Philippines. Worse, 10,262 cases were recorded in Brazil in 2018, compared to no cases in 2017.
In 2017, theWorld Health Organization (WHO) counted 170,000 cases compared to 229,000 in 2018. “When we see reported cases increase by 50%, we know we are heading in the wrong direction,” said Katherine O’Brien, director of the Department of Immunization and biological products at WHO. The WHO warns of the scale of the epidemic which is spreading in all regions of the world. “We are seeing epidemics that are protracted and growing,” warns Katherine O’Brien.
Insufficient rate of vaccinations
In France, 2,269 additional cases of measles were diagnosed in 2018 compared to 2017. Since January 1, 2019, 244 cases of measles have been reported. The situation is such that a French family brought measles back to Costa Rica where the disease was eradicated in 2014.
Beyond France, Europe is also currently affected by a resurgence of measles. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the disease affected 82,596 people on the Old Continent in 2018, three times more than in 2017. However, there have never been so many children. vaccinated against measles, assures the WHO. Across the whole of Europe, the two-dose vaccination rate reached 90% in 2017, a record. But unfortunately, to stop the circulation of the virus, 95% of children would have to be vaccinated. But currently, in Europe, 24 countries are below this target. Including France.
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