Read online: https://www.who.int/news/item/14-11-2024-measles-cases-surge-worldwide--...
'Worldwide, there were an estimated 10.3 million cases of measles in 2023, a 20% increase from 2022, according to new estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Inadequate immunization coverage globally is driving the surge in cases.
'Measles is preventable with two doses of measles vaccine; yet more than 22 million children missed their first dose of measles vaccine in 2023. Globally, an estimated 83% of children received their first dose of measles vaccine last year, while only 74% received the recommended second dose.
'Coverage of 95% or greater of two doses of measles vaccine is needed in each country and community to prevent outbreaks and protect populations from one of the world’s most contagious human viruses.
“Measles vaccine has saved more lives than any other vaccine in the past 50 years,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “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.”
“The number of measles infections are rising around the globe, endangering lives and health,” CDC Director Mandy Cohen said. “The measles vaccine is our best protection against the virus, and we must continue to invest in efforts to increase access.”
COMMENT (NPW): A recent Lancet paper notes the role of vaccine hesitancy and misinformation:
'Precariously, the political polarisation in vaccine attitudes and amplification of vaccine misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic has eroded trust in the measles vaccine, among other childhood vaccines. Uptake rates have declined precipitously to about 20% of children missing at least one dose in the regular measles schedule, equivalent to 24·9 million children in 2021 alone, more than at any point over the past two decades. Therefore, the existing systemic challenges associated in improving measle vaccine coverage might have been exacerbated by vehement vaccine misinformation.'
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(23)00063-3/fulltext
Question: To what extent has vaccine misinformation contributed to the rise in measles cases and deaths? What more can be done to counter such misinformation?
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
