🔴 More than 22 million children missed their measles vaccine during the pandemic, the biggest rise in two decades
telegraph.co.uk/global-health/…
📈After decades of progress measles cases were already on the rise before Covid-19 for several years.
This was due to poor global vaccination rates linked to hesitancy, weak health systems and a lack of access to the jab
telegraph.co.uk/global-health/…
🔴Deaths from measles rose by 50% globally in the three years from 2016 to 2019, when 207,500 people died of measles.
In 2020, 60,700 are estimated to have died
As well as killing children, complications with measles can also cause blindness, pneumonia and dehydration, and encephalitis, an infection causing brain swelling.
➡️Severe measles is more likely among poorly nourished young children, or those with weak immune systems
Dr Kate O’Brien, director of the WHO’s department of immunization, vaccines and biologicals, said:
🗣️“Evidence suggests we are likely seeing the calm before the storm as the risk of outbreaks continues to grow around the world.”
💉The virus is incredibly contagious, but almost entirely preventable by vaccination; mass campaigns have averted more than 30 million deaths globally since 2000
"If we do not act, gaps will become outbreaks, and many children will be exposed to a preventable but potentially deadly disease” said Unicef’s associate director for immunisation, Ephrem Tekle Lemango
Read the full report from @jriggers ⬇️
telegraph.co.uk/global-health/…
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