Measles cases up 8% on pre-pandemic levels

Cases of measles rose by 8% last year, to 11 million, compared with the situation before the Covid-19 pandemic six years ago. On the other hand, deaths fell by 11%, to 95,000, over the same period, the WHO said in Geneva on Friday. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox In almost 25 years, some 58 million victims have been prevented thanks to vaccination, according to the institution's estimates. The disease has moved from poor countries to middle-income countries, where mortality rates have been low in recent years. Measles "exploits the flaws in our collective defences", said the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. By region, Africa has seen a 40% reduction in cases and 50% fewer deaths than before the pandemic, thanks to increased vaccination coverage. On the other hand, prevalence rose by 86% in the Eastern Mediterranean and 47% in Europe. Despite significant progress, the elimination of this disease remains ...