The pandemic has led to various consequences, including decreased access to regular healthcare and lesser immunization reception, as noted by Science Alert. Now, going further, the World Health Organization has declared another imminent and growing threat that the world is bound to face-measles.
Measle Infections Are on the Rise
WHO reports how almost 40 million kids missed one or more doses of measle vaccines last 2021.
Measles has a similar transmission as COVID-19. Being a respiratory viral condition, it spreads to others through droplets in the air as well as aerosols. According to WHO, around 9 million people get infected with the virus each year and around 128,000 end up succumbing to it.
CDC also reports that measles is remarkably contagious. In fact, nine out of ten unprotected individuals may end up infected after direct exposure. Science Alert also notes that the R0 or basic reproduction number fo the virus is around twelve to eighteen. This means that around 12 to 18 individuals of susceptible people can be infected by one person, on average.
Those who get mildly infected with measles are bound to experience symptoms such as fever and rashes.
However, in severe cases, patients may experience pneumonia, blindness, and swelling of the brain.
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Measles Vaccine
The measles vaccine is very competent in doing its job. The dose can be self-administered or done alongside other vaccinations, such as rubella and mumps, so that the MMR immunization will be complete.
Majority of countries have doses split into two separate schedules. The initial jab is usually disseminated when the child is twelve months old. The second one follows when the child reaches four years.
The vaccine offers lasting and competitive protection against the virus. In fact, Science Alert reports that completing both doses gives around a 99% protection rate against the said virus.
In developing areas where measles immunization is low, one out of ten who get infected with the virus ends up succumbing to it. On the other hand, for areas that are developed, the death toll comprises those who were not vaccinated. The ratio is an estimate of one in one thousand to five thousand cases.
Risk and Potential for Measles Outbreak
According to Science Alert, there is a high probability that diseases like measles can lead to outbreaks in areas where there is great conflict and a high population of refugees.
Other than that, issues like malnutrition also worsen the prognosis and increase severity risks. It is also a pressing issue for humanitarian organizations and groups that are supporting the vulnerable.
Outbreaks are usually controlled by achieving herd immunity. The specific proportion of a group of people that require vaccination in order to inhibit such outbreaks is called HIT or herd immunity threshold.
In the case of measles, the ideal HIT is 95%.
Majority of the areas across the world do not reach this level. In fact, the global rate is roughly 71% for the two separate doses and 81% for a single dose.
The virus circulates easily and leads to drastic infections in long and short term in populations that are not vaccinated. To protect the people against this virus, there is an urgent need to boost immunization-especially among populations that are vulnerable and countries that are developing.
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