With cases in Europe increasing 30 times, the World Health Organization (WHO) is re-issuing warnings about measles.
WHO experts argue that the spread of the disease in Europe has been occurring at a very fast pace, especially within recent months.
January to October of the past year, 40 out of a total European state numbering 53 states reported over thirty thousand cases. This represents a sharp rise from the 941 cases reported in all of last year, according to news daily Independent.
It was in kids aged one to four, many of the cases were two out of five. Close to 20% of the cases were among twenty years and older.
Experts of the World Health Organisation added that unless people inoculate their children differently, this trend would continue.
Public Health Expert and European region’s regional director for WHO – Dr Hans Kluge, in regards of vaccination and disease spread, stated, “Vaccination is the only way to protect children from this potentially dangerous disease.”
This came after the implementation of campaigns in UK aimed at encouraging parents to make sure their children are jabbed for MMR vaccination.
Severe complications, lifelong disabilities and even death may follow measles. It can affect the lungs and brain resulting to diseases like pneumonia, meningitis blindness as well as the seizures.
What Dr Kluge has to comment?
According to the reports by Independent.co, Dr Hans Kluge can be quoted saying, “We have seen in the region not only a 30-fold increase in measles cases, but also nearly 21,000 hospitalisations and five measles-related deaths (reported in two countries).”
He added, “Vaccination is the only way to protect children from this potentially dangerous disease. Urgent vaccination efforts are needed to halt transmission and prevent further spread.”
Kluge continued, “It is vital that all countries are prepared to rapidly detect and timely respond to measles outbreaks, which could endanger progress towards measles elimination.”
The public health experts have further blamed the low vaccination rate for higher measles cases. However, they have also hinted upon the people who are travelling from one nation to other – leading to risk of cross-border disease transmission.
An increasing concern for UK Health Experts!
After witnessing the unstoppable surge in the cases, the head of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) – Professor Dame Jenny Harries, has outlined that the general public of the UK must be cautious as the cases are on a “trajectory for everything getting much worse.” The statement was quoted by PA news agency.
Harries further mentioned that “concerted action” is required to tackle the outbreak – caused due to measles disease.
She also emphasised upon the need of vaccination at current moment, and was quoted saying, “What we are seeing at the moment with measles is that people have forgotten what a serious illness it is. We have had very high vaccination rates, especially for young families, but they are low at the moment.”
The whole country seems to decrease the vaccination rates, while some parts are more concerned than others, such as London and west Midlands areas.
Figures released by the UKHSA only a few weeks ago showed that since October 1 of an earlier year, there had been 216 confirmed cases and as many likely turns for measles in the West Midlands.
The large proportion of the cases (80%) was recorded in Birmingham, with Coventry having only 10% and affecting children under ten years.
It has been announced as a national incident by the UKHSA, which implies that they perceive an increasing public health risk and endeavoring to focus their energies in specific regions.
Vaccine coverage, according to official statistics is at its lowest in more than a decade. In the 2021/2 period, only 84.5% of kids in England received both doses at five years old – which is low since a decade ago. 92.5% of the population got at least one dose.
Mike Tildesley, a specialist in the spread of disease and COVID noted that measles’ R is greater than for Covid.
“This means we need over 90% of the population to be immune or you’re going to start seeing cases growing,” he said, adding, “We have childhood vaccinations for measles which for many years have helped us to get rid of the disease,” as per Independent.co.
Tildesley continued, “Unfortunately, if those vaccination levels drop then we will start to see cases going up and that’s what we are seeing at the moment.”