Global health experts are calling for action to save lives after the number of large outbreaks of measles tripled since pre-Covid times, with 30million children under-protected
Children under the age of five are the most at risk as the most contagious virus on the planet spreads – and it can have potentially fatal complications. An estimated 11 million people caught measles last year, up seven per cent from 2023, with the number of big outbreaks having tripled since pre-Covid times.
That’s according to figures from the World Health Organisation, which described measles as “world’s most contagious virus” with at least 95,000 people having died from the virus last year – mostly young children.
The WHO said 30 million children remain under-protected due to low vaccination take-up, with immunisation below safe levels in England.
Last year’s 11 million cases was up from 10.4 million in 2023, while at least 59 countries suffered large outbreaks last year – almost three times the number seen before the coronavirus pandemic.
Measles spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, which is why it’s so contagious. In rare cases, it can lead to serious and complications such as blindness, brain swelling and pneumonia, which can prove fatal, reports The Sun.
There is a defence against the virus, with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab the best protection against contracting it and spreading it to others.
However, MMR uptake is now below safe levels across England, at 88.9 per cent — its lowest in 15 years. Since autumn 2023, there have been major outbreaks in the West Midlands, North West and London, with sporadic cases elsewhere, resulting in the highest number of infections in England since 2012.
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool shared the tragic news back in July that a child had died after contracting measles. This was the second death due to an acute measles infection in the UK this decade. Babies here receive the first dose of the MMR vaccine around their first birthday and the second dose around 18 months.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said: “Measles is the world’s most contagious virus, and these data show once again how it will exploit any gap in our collective defences against it.
“Measles does not respect borders, but when every child in every community is vaccinated against it, costly outbreaks can be avoided, lives can be saved, and this disease can be eliminated from entire nations.”
Eighty-four per cent of children received their first measles jab last year, but only 76 per cent received the all-important second dose. To reach herd immunity – which helps to prevent outbreaks – uptake of both jabs needs to hit 95 per cent, the WHO says.
Measles typically infects the respiratory tract before spreading throughout the body, causing a high temperature, cough, runny nose and tell-tale rash. Other symptoms to look out for include greyish-white spots in the mouth, fatigue, loss of appetite and muscle pain.
Of the 30 million children worldwide who remained under-protected last year, 75% live in the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions, often in war-torn or hard-to-reach communities.
Cases were up by 47% in Europe, with a particularly large spike in the Eastern Mediterranean, including in Turkey, Israel, Palestine and Cyprus.
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