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Measles on the rise in Europe; The latest health stories from around the world

The World Health Organization (WHO) said in December that its European region (which extends into parts of western and central Asia) saw an “alarming” increase in measles cases – from under 1,000 in 2022 to more than 30,000 last year. www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2024/02/08/1229540182/its-no-surprise-theres-a-global-measles-outbreak-but-the-numbers-are-staggering?  The WHO’s most recent global numbers, released in November, reveal that measles cases increased worldwide by 18% …

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WHO expands mRNA facilities to South Africa; The latest health stories from around the world

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday launched its mRNA vaccine technology hub in South Africa’s Cape Town, to help poorer countries struggling to gain access to life-saving medication. www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-officially-launches-mrna-vaccine-hub-cape-town-2023-04-20/ In 2021, the WHO picked South African biotech firm Afrigen Biologics and local vaccine-maker Biovac for a proof-of-concept pilot project to give poor and middle-income …

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Measles outbreak attributed to low vaccine coverage

A measles outbreak in Mumbai, followed by Ranchi, Ahmedabad and Malappuram in India over the past month has drawn attention to the large number of unvaccinated children. Over 16,000 suspected cases have been recorded in India. Of the 20 children who have died of measles since October 26 in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, just one …

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How does India fare on the roadmap to elimination?

India has a prolonged history of setting ambitious elimination deadlines for a host of diseases, only to miss the deadline and simply re-announce another year.  Many diseases, such as leprosy, are simply neglected with most individuals affected belonging to lower castes and viewed as outcasts from society — a view proliferative through thousands of years. …

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Measles deaths on the rise, as vaccinations fall

Measles vaccinations are falling. Measles deaths are rising.  In 2019, measles deaths stood at 207,000 – a fifty percent rise since 2016. Infections with the highly-contagious virus, meanwhile, hit almost 870,000 – a figure last seen in the mid-1990s. These alarming figures were published in a study jointly released by the World Health Organization (WHO) …

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The measles vaccine and why it matters

When it comes to health issues, it is unsurprising the pandemic of COVID-19 dominates the conversation. Yet, as we appraise the gravity of COVID-19, it is important to remember that the world grapples with a plethora of public health concerns. Among them is measles – and it is deeply concerning that the line of defence …

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Intensified immunisation drive in Maharashtra to benefit almost 80,000 kids

Almost 80,000 children and more than 13,000 pregnant women will benefit from an intensified immunisation drive in Maharashtra. The news comes from the state on the heels of an announcement earlier this year that the Government of India was stepping up its immunisation efforts through Indradhanush 2: an enhanced version of the Government’s vaccination drive …

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WHO-SEARO pledge on measles and rubella

The recent meeting of World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Region nations saw a commitment issued to eliminate measles and rubella by 2023.  The 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Office for Southeast Asia (WHO-SEARO), which took place in Delhi, saw member countries pledge to increase immunisation rates in order to boost herd immunity against the …

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Save the Children gives India its scorecard on child health

“Basic education links the children, whether of cities or the villages, to all that is best and lasting in us.”  – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi   This sentiment – that being the centric role played by children in their country’s future – has been laid bare in the latest report released by Save the Children in …

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India’s kids miss out on the measles vaccine

2.9 million Indian kids missed out on the first dose of their measles vaccinations in the last eight years, according to the United Nations. A report by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveals that more than twenty million children worldwide missed out on the all-important first dose of the measles vaccine in the past eight …

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