{"id":607629,"date":"2019-04-16T20:37:39","date_gmt":"2019-04-16T20:37:39","guid":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/div>\n

The number of measles "},"modified":"2019-04-16T20:37:39","modified_gmt":"2019-04-16T20:37:39","slug":"africa-measles-cases-up-700-un","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/04\/16\/africa-measles-cases-up-700-un\/","title":{"rendered":"Africa measles cases up 700% \u2013 UN"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/div>\n

The number of measles cases reported worldwide in the first three months of 2019 has quadrupled compared with the same time last year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).<\/p>\n

The UN body said provisional data indicated a \u201ca clear trend\u201d, with all regions of the world seeing outbreaks.<\/p>\n

Africa had witnessed the most dramatic rise \u2013 up 700%.<\/p>\n

The agency said actual numbers may be far greater, since only one in 10 cases globally are reported.<\/p>\n

Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can sometimes lead to serious health complications, including infections of the lungs and brain.<\/p>\n

Ukraine, Madagascar and India have been worst affected by the disease, with tens of thousands of reported cases per million people.<\/p>\n

Since September, at least 800 people have died from measles in Madagascar alone.<\/p>\n

Outbreaks have also hit Brazil, Pakistan and Yemen, \u201ccausing many deaths \u2013 mostly among young children\u201d, while a spike in case numbers was reported for countries including the US and Thailand with high levels of vaccination coverage.<\/p>\n

In total, some 170 countries reported 112,163 measles cases to WHO, in comparison to 28,124 cases across 163 countries during the same period in 2018.<\/p>\n

The UN says the disease is \u201centirely preventable\u201d with the right vaccines, but global coverage of the first immunisation stage has \u201cstalled\u201d at 85%, \u201cstill short of the 95% needed to prevent outbreaks\u201d.<\/p>\n

In an opinion piece for CNN, WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UNICEF head Henrietta Fore said the world was \u201cin the middle of a measles crisis\u201d and that \u201cthe proliferation of confusing and contradictory information\u201d about vaccines was partly to blame.<\/p>\n

The pair wrote that it was \u201cunderstandable, in such a climate, how loving parents can feel lost\u201d but that \u201cultimately, there is no \u2018debate\u2019 to be had about the profound benefits of vaccines\u201d.<\/p>\n

They added: \u201cMore than 20 million lives have been saved through measles vaccination since the year 2000 alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to recent measles outbreaks, calls have mounted in several countries to make immunisation mandatory.<\/p>\n

Last month, Italy banned children under six from attending schools unless they had received vaccines for chickenpox, measles and other illnesses.<\/p>\n

A public health emergency has also been declared in areas of New York, ordering all residents to be vaccinated or face a fine.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Source: BBC<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p><\/div>\n