Measles cases are up 79% worldwide in 2022 due to delays in childhood vaccinations, who says

Measles cases are up 79% worldwide in 2022 due to delays in childhood vaccinations, who says

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With parents delaying getting their kids vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases of the measles are now up 79% worldwide this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United


Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) warned on Wednesday. There have already been 21 "large and disruptive" outbreaks of the measles this year, the health


agencies said, with most occurring in Africa and the East Mediterranean region. So far, there have been a reported 17,338 measles cases worldwide in January and February, compared to 9,665


during that same time period in 2021. "Pandemic-related disruptions, increasing inequalities in access to vaccines, and the diversion of resources from routine immunization are leaving


too many children without protection against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases," the organizations said. And with most countries removing preventative COVID measures like


mask mandates while measles is spreading, the conditions are "ripe" for serious outbreaks. "It is encouraging that people in many communities are beginning to feel protected


enough from COVID-19 to return to more social activities. But doing so in places where children are not receiving routine vaccination creates the perfect storm for the spread of a disease


like measles," Catherine Russell, the executive director of UNICEF, said in the release. Measles, a respiratory virus, can be deadly in small children but is highly preventable with the


two-dose vaccine first introduced in 1963. Without the vaccine, though, it spreads quickly and can weaken a child's immune system, making them more susceptible to other diseases like


pneumonia. These outbreaks are a sign that children worldwide are going unvaccinated, Russel said. "Measles is more than a dangerous and potentially deadly disease. It is also an early


indication that there are gaps in our global immunization coverage, gaps vulnerable children cannot afford." RELATED VIDEO: HERE ARE SOME MYTH-BUSTING FACTS ABOUT COVID-19 VACCINES When


the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, 23 million children missed out on basic childhood vaccinations, the organizations said. The continuing pandemic, along with international conflicts in


Ukraine, Ethiopia, Somalia and Afghanistan will likely continue to effect vaccination rates. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control warned that U.S. vaccination rates are down among


kindergarten students, with measles vaccinations dropping to 93.6% during the 2020-2021 school year. "We are concerned that missed routine vaccinations could leave children vulnerable


to preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough, which are extremely contagious and can be very serious, especially for babies and young children," Dr. Shannon Stokley, deputy


director of the CDC's Immunization Services Division, said. Since the two-dose, highly effective measles vaccine was first introduced in 1963, cases in the U.S. dropped significantly,


and the virus was eventually considered eradicated in the country. But prior to the pandemic, in 2019, the U.S. had significant measles outbreaks and a reported 1,282 cases nationwide, the


most since 1992, which health officials said was due to a rise in anti-vaccine rhetoric. "Measles is preventable and the way to end this outbreak is to ensure that all children and


adults who can get vaccinated, do get vaccinated," then-CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said in June 2019. "Again, I want to reassure parents that vaccines are safe, they do not


cause autism. The greater danger is the disease the vaccination prevents."