According to WHO, the coronavirus pandemic has caused disruptions in routine measles vaccination.
Representatives of the organization express concern about this and report that last year alone, due to the pandemic, more than 22 million children missed vaccination against measles.
Compared to 2019, the number of children unvaccinated against measles in 2020 increased by 3 million, WHO said.
The result is the worst situation in 20 years, which could trigger a measles outbreak.
At the same time, the report said the number of reported measles cases last year fell by more than 80% compared to 2019.
However, WHO experts do not place much hope on the statistical data, because they believe that the decrease in incidence is again associated with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
In fact, it should be taken into account that last year only 70% of children received a second measles injection.
Because of this, the world is on the verge of “the calm before the storm,” WHO officials say.
