Measles cases rises globally - WHO

Measles cases globally have almost tripled since January 2019 compared to the same period last year, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

Figures published by WHO show that from January 1 to July 31, 364,808 cases were recorded, compared to 129,239 last year during the same period.

These are the highest figures since 2006, according to Christian Lindmeier, a spokesman for the Organization, at a press briefing in Geneva.

The highest number of cases were recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Ukraine.

In Madagascar, however, “the number of cases has decreased considerably in recent months” as a result of national emergency measles vaccination campaigns, the WHO stated.

Other major outbreaks are ongoing in Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Kazakhstan, the Philippines and Thailand.

The United States has recorded its highest number of measles cases in 25 years.

In Europe, the figures have doubled to almost 90,000 reported cases this year. This is well above the figure recorded for the whole of 2018 at 84,462.

In the other regions, the WHO recorded an explosion of cases in Africa, almost ten times higher, an increase of 230% in the Western Pacific and 50% in the Eastern Mediterranean.

South-East Asia and the Americas each recorded a 15% decrease.

AFP