Estimated 140K People Died Of Measles In 2018, WHO/CDC Report Says; WHO Urges Countries To Reach 95% Vaccination Levels To Prevent Outbreaks
NPR: Measles Numbers Were Bad In 2018. This Year, They’re Even Worse
“After decades of progress against one of the most contagious human viruses, the world is seeing measles stage a slow, steady comeback. The World Health Organization and the CDC say in a new report that there were nearly 10 million cases of measles last year, with outbreaks on every continent. An estimated 140,000 people died from measles in 2018, WHO says, up from an all-time low of 90,000 in 2016. And so far 2019 has been even worse…” (Beaubien, 12/5).
U.N. News: Measles ‘misinformation campaigns’ through social media, fuel rising toll
“…In a warning over dangerously low vaccination levels and large outbreaks in several countries — spurred on by social media ‘misinformation campaigns’ — the U.N. health agency insisted that anything less than 95 percent coverage risked sparking an outbreak…” (12/5).
Additional information on the report is available from ABC, The Guardian, NBC, Reuters, Science Speaks, and UPI.
The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.