The disease to watch in global health next year is measles, not just the growth of the virus itself, but the disease as a barometer of how profoundly lockdowns and other effects from the Covid pandemic has slowed things down.
Recent epidemics have occurred in nations as diverse as Ethiopia, India, Tajikistan, and Poland. Last year, there were significant outbreaks in 22 countries, with an estimated nine million infections and 128,000 deaths worldwide. Countless youngsters will have suffered severe brain damage as a result, which will have a long-term impact on their lives. Measles is, of course, completely avoidable. However, due to disruptions in healthcare, vaccination coverage has slowly fallen worldwide since the start of the Covid epidemic, putting us in our current condition.
It is not primary childhood vaccination that a large number of children have skipped. However, due to the rapid spread of measles, it will be the primary disease one year from now. Medical services will not be in short supply in overburdened networks, and more unnecessary illness episodes are almost certain to follow. 'While antibodies against Coronavirus were created in record time and distributed on the world's biggest immunization campaign, routine vaccination programs were severely disrupted, and a large number of children missed out on life-saving immunizations,' said WHO Chief General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
It would be a huge mistake to believe that these are the only challenges underdeveloped countries face. The UK lost its measles-free status in 2018 as vaccination rates fell and cases increased. And, according to the most recent data, vaccine coverage for the second dose fell even lower during the pandemic, to just 85.5 percent after five years. This was despite 43 cases being recorded in the year ending September 2022. Only Tajikistan and Turkey have a higher number in the WHO European Region.
The organization warned in November that there is now an imminent threat of measles spreading to diverse places throughout the world. This is because COVID has resulted in a persistent drop in vaccination coverage and impaired disease surveillance. 'Plunging measles vaccination rates should raise every red flag,' said Elizabeth Cousens, president, and CEO of the United Nations Foundation. 'We don't have time to squander. We must act quickly to ensure that life-saving immunizations reach every child.'
'For three years, we have been raising the alarm about dropping vaccination rates and the increased risk to children's health internationally,' said Unicef's chief of immunization, Ephrem Tekle Lemango. The time for resolute action has arrived.' Countries that thoroughly vaccinate 95% or more of their population develop herd immunity against measles and become measles-free rapidly. However, the world, including the UK, is currently considerably below that level. It's a measure of how much harm Covid has done to our healthcare system, and how much work remains to be done in 2023 to make up for lost ground.
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