Measles incidence in Europe in 2018 increased threefold – to a record level of 82,6 thousand. cases – warns in the latest report of the World Health Organization (WHO). How many cases have been reported in Poland?
Most, because over 53,2 thousand. cases were recorded in 2018 in Ukraine. Serbia was in second place with 5. cases, followed by France (2,9 thousand), Our Country (2,3 thousand) and Greece (2,2 thousand). In Poland, 2018 cases of measles were registered in 335.
The director of the European office of the World Health Organization in Copenhagen, Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab emphasizes that compared to 2017, the incidence of measles has tripled last year. In 2017, 25,8 thousand people were registered on our continent. cases of this disease. In 2018, 72 people died because of her, and in 2017 – 42.
According to the report, the main reason for the increase in the incidence in Ukraine was the collapse of measles vaccination in 2016 (as a result of the conflict with Our Country), when only 31% of measles received the drug. kids. In 2017, about 90 percent of the population was vaccinated. children, but this level of vaccination, the authors of the document emphasize, must now be maintained.
The WHO notes that the increase in measles incidence in Europe occurred in 2018, and only a year earlier (in 2017), high vaccination rates were achieved. One dose was received on average by 95 percent. children, and two doses – 90 percent.
According to Dr Jakab, this shows that in some regions there is still a group of unvaccinated people against measles that are gateways to spreading the virus that causes it. These places become visible only when there are local outbreaks of this disease.
“We need to take even more steps to protect everyone from measles, which is easy to avoid (thanks to vaccinations – PAP)” – adds Dr. Jakab.
The World Health Organization emphasizes that measles is a highly contagious viral disease in childhood. It is spread by droplets and by direct contact with nasopharyngeal secretions, mainly in places where there is a sufficiently large group of unvaccinated people or those who have already lost immunity.
Then arise the so-called mini-epidemics, which occur most often in those countries where the level of the so-called vaccination coverage drops below 95% The greatest immunity comes from giving two doses of the measles vaccine.
According to WHO, 2017 people were recorded worldwide in 110. deaths from measles. It has been calculated that between 2000 and 2017, the lives of 21 million people worldwide were saved thanks to vaccination against measles.