Measles jab low amid Covid-19, puts nearly 40 million children at risk

December 22, 2022

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination rates have steadily decreased for measles, which is considered to be the most contagious virus but is a preventable disease. A record high of nearly 40 million children missed a measles vaccine dose in 2021, according to a joint publication by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the report, this decline puts millions of children at risk of this infectious disease. Measles was responsible for an estimated 9 million cases and 128,000 deaths worldwide in 2021. Measles is expected to be a persistent global threat in the face of declining vaccine coverage, delays in immunization activities, and other disruptions in diseases response programs caused by COVID-19, as well as persistent large outbreaks in 2022. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that restoring the momentum of immunization programs is essential. “ Behind every statistic in this report is a child at risk of a preventable disease,” he said.

Nearly 61 million measles vaccine doses were postponed or missed in 18 countries in 2021 due to COVID-19-related delays in immunization campaigns. To protect communities and achieve and maintain measles elimination, a coverage of 95% or greater of two doses of measles-containing vaccine is required.

Currently, only 81% of children have received their first measles-containing vaccine dose, and 71% have received their second measles-containing vaccine dose. According to the report, these are the lowest global coverage rates for the first dose of measles vaccination since 2008, though coverage varies by country.

The CDC and WHO urge all partners at the global, regional, national, and local levels to collaborate in order to identify and immunize all unprotected children, including those who have gone unnoticed over the last two years, the report said.

Tags: CDC on measles, children at risk of measles, Measles, measles outbreak, measles vaccination, WHO on measles