Introduction
The World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are sounding an alarm about global measles outbreaks. Both organizations have issued new warnings to raise awareness of the dangers of the disease and encourage more people to get vaccinated. The warning comes as there were more than four times as many cases in the first three months of 2019 compared with the same period last year, according to data released by WHO on Feb. 20th
The world's numbers of measles cases have been rising since the anti-vaccination movement started to change vaccination rates in a number of countries.
Measles is a serious disease and vaccination is the best way to prevent it. The anti-vaccination movement has caused a resurgence of measles cases, especially in Europe and North America, where doctors have recommended that parents not vaccinate their children.
The CDC and WHO are working together to try to control the spread of measles around the world by encouraging everyone who can be vaccinated against this illness—including those who might have missed their shots or never had them before—to get them before it's too late.
The World Health Organization reports that there were quadruple the number of measles cases in the first three months of 2019 compared with the same period last year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that there were over 100,000 cases of measles in the first three months of 2019 compared with the same period last year. This means it's been a very busy time for doctors and health officials across the globe.
The WHO says this is a 400% increase from 2018, when there were only 20,000 cases reported globally over those 12 months. It's also an alarming figure considering how rare it is to see such high levels of outbreaks at any given time. In fact, according to their data set since 2016 when they began tracking these figures closely: "the highest number on record was seen during 2015-2016."
In the United States, there has been an increase in cases every year since 2016.
In the United States, there has been an increase in cases every year since 2016. This is because fewer people are getting vaccinated once again and outbreaks have been reported in several states. Vaccination rates have dropped from 92% to 85% since 2010; however, vaccines are still very safe and effective.
This troubling trend could be halted and reversed if vaccination rates were to return to their previous levels, both organizations urge.
The WHO and CDC are urging parents and health workers to vaccinate every child, as they have done in the past. They also warn that if vaccination rates fall below 95% it could lead to an outbreak of measles, which has been eliminated from the Americas since 2003.
In the United States alone, unvaccinated children account for 5% of all cases reported worldwide—and some countries have seen their vaccination rates drop below 50%. In Canada last year there were 23 confirmed cases among non-immunized travelers who visited countries with higher infection risks like China or Vietnam; there were no cases among those who had been vaccinated against measles before traveling abroad (though one case did occur within a group traveling together).
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, but it isn't gone around the world and still makes its way here when people with the disease travel here from other countries or when we travel there -- and get infected as well as bring it back with us.
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, but it isn't gone around the world and still makes its way here when people with the disease travel here from other countries or when we travel there -- and get infected as well as bring it back with us.
The World Health Organization says that more than 120 countries are still experiencing an increase in measles cases this year, with one country experiencing more than 5 times their normal number of cases (India). The WHO also reported this week that there were 641 deaths from measles worldwide last year--and those numbers are expected to rise again for 2019 if current trends continue.
Sustained high coverage with 2 doses of measles vaccine is needed to prevent measles outbreaks (95% for elimination) but even a single dose can reduce severity for those who still get infected, particularly young children.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can cause serious complications and even death. Measles is spread through the air, but it also spreads via direct contact with an infected person's mucus or saliva.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 3-4 million cases occur each year globally. In 2017 alone there were over 10,000 deaths due to measles in low- and middle-income countries—with over 1 million cases reported in Africa alone—and hundreds more children died from hemorrhagic fevers caused by dengue virus or chikungunya virus infection.
There are more cases than there were before because fewer people are getting vaccinated once again
One of the problems with measles is that it’s not gone from the world. In fact, there are more cases than there were before because fewer people are getting vaccinated once again—and this means a whole bunch of unvaccinated individuals have been infected and spreading disease around the globe.
Measles can be prevented by getting vaccinated as soon as possible. If you're talking about adults who know they have had one or more doses of MMR vaccine before, they should get another dose at least 28 days after their first one (if they were born after 1957).
Conclusion
We hope this was helpful and informative. We know that there are many different opinions on vaccinations, but we believe that the best way to protect yourself is by getting vaccinated.
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