WHO warns of the threat of measles outbreaks due to failures in routine vaccination

More than 22 million children missed the first of two measles vaccine shots in 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic, raising the risk of a measles outbreak. This is stated in a published report by the World HEALTH Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“During 2020, more than 22 million babies missed their first dose of measles vaccine — 3 million more than in 2019, the biggest increase in two decades and creating dangerous conditions for outbreaks,” the report said.

They also noted that although 80% fewer cases were registered in 2020 than in 2019, in general, epidemiological surveillance for measles in the world has weakened. This was manifested in the fact that last year the smallest number of biomaterial samples in ten years was sent to the laboratory for analysis, the authors of the report believe. “Weak measles monitoring, testing and disease communication threaten countries' ability to prevent outbreaks of this highly contagious disease,” the WHO and CDC said.

In addition, the authors of the report said that due to failures in routine vaccination, today more than 93 million people are at risk of getting measles.