Measles Outbreak Threat Looms As 3 Million Infants Unvaccinated

WASHINGTON: According to the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) report published yesterday, measles outbreaks may occur more frequently shortly due to 3 million infants missing their first vaccination, a number that has risen exponentially from last year.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 22 million infants missed their first dose in 2020 - the number is considered the most significant increase in 20 years. Twenty-four vaccination campaigns in more than 20 nations were cancelled last year, putting more than 93 million individuals at risk for the disease.
Measles observation also decreased as labs received the lowest number of specimens in more than a decade for testing purposes.
“Evidence shows that we likely see the calm before the storm. Especially when we consider the number of outbreaks continuing to grow globally,” noted Kate O’Brien, World Health Organization (WHO), the director of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals.
“COVID-19 immunization should not come at the compromise of essential immunization programs. Otherwise, we end up trading one deadly disease for another,” she warned.