Measles, a highly contagious disease, has increased by 20% worldwide in 2023 due to worrying shortcomings in vaccination coverage, a study published Thursday showed.
An estimated 10.3 million cases were recorded worldwide last year, killing 107,500 people, most of them children under five.
The authors of the study, conducted by the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that "inadequate global vaccination coverage is the reason for this" 20% increase in cases.
At least 95% coverage with two doses of the measles and rubella vaccine is needed to prevent outbreaks.
But only 83% of children worldwide received their first dose as part of routine vaccination campaigns in 2023. That is the same level as in 2022, but lower than the 86% recorded before the Covid pandemic.
According to the study, only 74% of children received their second dose last year.
The study authors identified major outbreaks of measles in 57 countries in 2023, on all continents except the Americas, and half of them in Africa, compared to 36 countries the previous year.
Fortunately, this virus, which can cause a rash, fever and flu-like symptoms but can also have particularly serious complications in young children, led to fewer deaths in 2023 (-8%).
The study authors explain this trend mainly by the fact that the increase in cases occurred in countries where children infected with measles were less likely to die thanks to improved nutrition and better access to health services.
The World Health Organization and the CDC fear that the goal of eliminating measles by 2030 is "at risk".
"The measles vaccine has saved more lives than any other vaccine in the past 50 years," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.
“To save more lives and prevent this deadly virus from harming the most vulnerable, we must invest in vaccinating everyone, no matter where they live,” he stressed in a statement. WHO and CDC are calling for greater efforts to ensure that all children receive two doses of the vaccine, particularly in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as in conflict zones.
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