GENEVA, Nov 30, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Measles cases worldwide jumped more than
30 percent last year compared to 2016, with increases recorded in wealthy
European countries like Germany where vaccination coverage has historically
been high, the UN said Thursday.
The World Health Organization said the worrying trend of resurgent measles
cases was a near global phenomenon, but the causes varied among regions.
In Europe, experts blamed the problem in part on complacency and
misinformation about a vaccine proven to be both effective and safe.
Martin Friede, WHO’s director of immunisation, vaccines and biologicals
told reporters that “supposed experts making accusations against the vaccine
without any evidence” has had an impact on parents’ decisions.
He specifically cited medically baseless claims linking the measles vaccine
to autism, which have been spread in part on social media by members of the
so-called “anti-vax” movement.
But cases have also spiked in Latin America, partly due to “a collapsing
health system in Venezuela,” the head of the vaccine alliance Gavi, Seth
Berkley, said in a statement.
A crippling political and economic crisis in Venezuela has triggered
massive inflation, with hospitals struggling to maintain stocks.
“What is more worrying than the increase in the cases reported is that we
are seeing sustained measles transmission in countries that had previously
not seen measles transmission for many years,” Friede said.
“This suggests we are actually regressing.”
Multiple countries — notably Germany, Russia and Venezuela — have had
their measles elimination certificate withdrawn over the last 12 months.
A country loses its measles elimination status when “the same type of virus
has been circulating for more than 12 continuous months,” according to WHO.
– ‘Not rocket science’ –
WHO stressed that the overall global fight against measles had shown
impressive results this century. In 2000, there were more than 850,000 cases
reported worldwide, compared to 173,000 last year.
That progress made the recent setbacks all the more frustrating, said WHO
immunisation expert Ann Lindstrand.
“We have a safe and effective vaccine,” she told reporters. “This is not
rocket science, we know what to do.”
According to WHO guidelines, preventing measles outbreaks requires 95
percent coverage of the first dose of the vaccine.
Global coverage has stalled at 85 percent for several years, but the figure
is lower in poorer regions like Africa, which had a coverage rate of 70
percent in 2017.
Measles is a highly contagious disease, which can cause severe diarrhoea,
pneumonia and vision loss and can be fatal in some cases.