40 Million Children Worldwide Missed Vaccinations Last Year
Outbreak Signs Already in Some Areas Including the US... "1-2 Years Needed to Resolve"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] As the healthcare system was shaken during the COVID-19 period, signs of a global measles outbreak have recently emerged.
Measles is highly contagious, making vaccination for infants and young children essential. However, with gaps in herd immunity like this, some regions including the United States are already showing worrying signs of an outbreak.
According to foreign media such as the AP News, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported jointly that 40 million children worldwide missed their measles vaccinations last year. With this record-high figure, the two organizations diagnosed that the world is facing a "desperate threat" from measles.
There is no specific treatment for measles, but two doses of the vaccine can prevent about 97% of severe cases or deaths. However, because the virus is highly contagious, at least 95% of the population must have immunity to prevent an outbreak.
Last year, only 81% of children received the first dose and 71% received the second dose, marking the lowest vaccination rates (based on the first dose) since 2008. Dr. Patrick O'Connor, an expert affiliated with WHO, said, "We are at a crossroads," adding, "It will take 12 to 24 months to mitigate this issue."
Measles vaccination is administered in two doses as part of infant immunizations, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the existing healthcare system and the spread of misinformation about vaccines led to low measles vaccination rates. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said, "The record number of children without immunity to measles shows that the pandemic seriously damaged the public health system."
Earlier, the United Nations (UN) also reported in July that 25 million children missed vaccinations including diphtheria due to COVID-19. Last year, there were 9 million measles infections worldwide and 128,000 deaths. Over 95% of the deaths were recorded in developing countries such as those in Asia and Africa.
Some regions in the United States are already showing signs of a measles outbreak. Currently, the vaccination rate among U.S. infants under 2 years old is about 90.4%, significantly below the minimum defense line of 95%. According to a paper published in July, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., low measles vaccination rates left more than 13% of children vulnerable to measles.
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