43% increase in measles deaths from 2021-2022: WHO

43% increase in measles deaths from 2021-2022: WHO

Subject : Science and Tech

Section: health

Context:

• The number of measles deaths worldwide increased by 43 per cent from 2021-2022, following years of falling vaccination rates, according to a new assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Details:

• In 2022, there were an estimated 136,000 measles deaths globally, most of which were among children.
• The number of measles cases across the world also increased by 18 per cent during the same period bringing the total number of infections to nine million.
• Among the 22 million children who did not receive their first dose of the measles vaccination in 2022, more than half are residents of just 10 countries: Madagascar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Angola, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, and Philippines.

About Measles and Rubella:

• Measles-
  • Measles (also called rubeola) is a very contagious respiratory viral infection that causes a total-body skin rash and flu-like symptoms.
  • It is transmitted person-to-person via droplets when infected people sneeze or cough.
  • Initial symptoms usually occur 10–12 days after infection and comprise high fever, runny nose, bloodshot eyes and Koplik’s spots (tiny white spots on the inside of the mouth).
  • Several days later, a rash develops and the most severe complication includes blindness, encephalitis (an infection that causes brain swelling), severe diarrhoea and pneumonia.
  • There is no specific medical treatment.
• Rubella-
  • Rubella is a viral disease caused by the rubella virus that mostly affects the skin and lymph nodes.
  • In kids, rubella (commonly called German measles or 3-day measles) is usually a mild illness.
  • However, the infection is dangerous for pregnant women because it can cause serious health problems in their babies.
  • Rubella is transmitted in airborne droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected people.
• Measles can be avoided with two vaccination doses- MCV1 and MCV2.
• Low-income countries — where the risk of measles-related deaths is highest — have the lowest vaccination rate of 66 per cent, indicating no recovery at all from the backslide during the pandemic.

To eradicate measles and rubella by 2023,India has plans to vaccinate 95 per cent of the population with two doses of the measles and rubella vaccine under the Intensified Mission Indradhanush, a flagship routine immunisation campaign of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.