WHO "10 Million Measles Cases Worldwide Last Year... 100,000 Deaths"

On the 15th (local time), the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the number of measles patients worldwide reached 10.3 million last year, a 20% increase compared to the previous year.

In a press release on the same day, WHO explained, "Among measles patients, the number of deaths was 107,500, an 8% decrease compared to the previous year, but most of them were children under the age of 5."

Cases with a large number of measles infections were reported in 57 countries. This represents a 60% increase compared to 36 countries in 2022, with a sharp rise in outbreaks reported in Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific.

Measles vaccination campaign underway in the Lebanon region. Photo by Yonhap News

WHO pointed out that the increase in measles patients was due to low vaccination rates.

As of last year, 83% of children worldwide received the first dose of the measles vaccine, but only 74% received the second dose.

WHO emphasized, "Measles is the most contagious human virus, and to prevent outbreaks, the rate of completing the second dose of vaccination must reach 95%."