The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have warned of what they describe as a "perfect storm" for the spread of measles among children. The organizations reported that measles cases worldwide increased by 79% in the first two months of 2022 compared to the same period last year. Approximately 17,338 measles cases were reported globally in January and February 2022, compared to 9,665 cases during the same months in 2021. Countries experiencing the largest outbreaks include Somalia, Yemen, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia.
Statistics indicate that there were 21 major outbreaks of the disease in the 12 months from April 2021 to April 2022, most of which were reported in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean region, and this number is likely much higher. Africa recorded a 400% increase in measles infection rates, reaching over 17,000 cases between January and March. The WHO stated that the rise in cases is "a worrying sign of an increased risk of spreading vaccine-preventable diseases" and warned of a "larger outbreak affecting millions of children."
They highlighted that disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and inequality in vaccine distribution have left children unprotected from vaccine-preventable diseases like measles. The organization continued: "Since measles is highly contagious, cases tend to emerge rapidly when vaccination levels drop. Agencies are concerned that a measles outbreak could also warn of other diseases that do not spread as quickly."
Measles is a viral infection that spreads through the air, is highly contagious, and can be serious, causing health complications, especially in children under 5 years old. Data from the United States indicates that one in five individuals infected with measles is hospitalized, while one in every thousand patients experiences swelling of the brain, and one to three out of every thousand infected may die even with the best healthcare.
The WHO emphasizes that the measles virus weakens the immune system, making children more susceptible to other infectious diseases for several months after infection. In 2020, 23 million children worldwide did not receive basic vaccinations, the highest number since 2009, and an increase of 3.7 million from the figure recorded in 2019. Measles caused the deaths of hundreds of millions worldwide in the 16th and 19th centuries before the development of vaccines against the disease in the second half of the 20th century.
