Measles cases in 2022 have increased by 18 percent, and deaths have increased by 43 percent globally (compared to 2021). New report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.
The number of cases is estimated at 9 million people, deaths — at 136,000 people, most of whom are children. Large-scale outbreaks were recorded in 37 countries, which is significantly more than in 2021 — then outbreaks occurred in 21 countries. Twenty-eight affected countries are in the WHO African Region, six in the Eastern Mediterranean, two in South-East Asia and one in Europe.
Measles is preventable with two doses of measles vaccine. While a modest increase in global vaccination coverage occurred in 2022 from 2021, there were still 33 million children who missed a measles vaccine dose: nearly 22 million missed their first dose and an additional 11 million missed their second dose. The global vaccine coverage rate of the first dose, at 83 percent, and second dose, at 74 percent, were still well under the 95 percent coverage with two doses that is necessary to protect communities from outbreaks.
At least 4,098 people have contracted measles in Kyrgyzstan since the beginning of the year.
