Iran Press/ America: Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses and is almost entirely preventable through vaccination. However, it requires 95% vaccine coverage to prevent outbreaks among populations.
But the World Health Organization said that the Covid pandemic has led to a decline in vaccine coverage for the disease.
A record high of nearly 40 million children missed a measles vaccine dose in 2021 due to hurdles created by the Covid pandemic, the WHO said in a report.
While measles cases have not yet gone up dramatically compared to previous years, now is the time to act, the WHO’s measles lead, Dr. Patrick O’Connor, told Reuters.
“We are at a crossroads,” he said Tuesday. “It is going to be a very challenging 12-24 months trying to mitigate this.”
A combination of factors, such as lingering social distancing measures and the cyclical nature of measles, may explain why there has not yet been an explosion of cases despite the widening immunity gaps, but that could change quickly, O’Connor said, pointing out the highly contagious nature of the disease.
The United Nations health agency has already seen an increase in large disruptive outbreaks since the start of the year, rising from 19 to almost 30 by September, he said, adding that he was particularly worried about parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
But last week, the public health department in Columbus, Ohio, reported a measles outbreak with 24 active cases, according to NBC News. All of those cases are in unvaccinated children.
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