Almost 40 million children I am exposed to the threat of measles: lo reports the World Health Organization (WHO), in a joint publication with i Centers for disease control and prevention US (CDC). The reason would be related to insufficient coverage vaccinate them against the disease, diminished further during the pandemic of COVID-19. According to the health institutions, in fact, in 2021 they would be over 60 million vaccine administrations missed or performed late: these are record numbers, which represent a significant one setback in progress towards the global goal of eradicating the virusleaving millions of children exposed to infections which in some cases can even be fatal.

Measles is one infectious disease caused by a kind of virus morbillivirus (family of the Paramyxoviridae) very contagiouswhich is transmitted by air and often affects children aged between one and three years. Characterized by fever, flu-like symptoms and the onset of skin rashes all over the body, it can give rise to even very serious complications, which include inflammation of the brain, respiratory infections, diarrhea, up to death. Despite efforts at the moment no WHO region has succeeded in eradicating the disease: As of 2016, ten countries that had eliminated measles did new outbreaks have occurred in which the virus has returned to circulatewhile real epidemics occurred in twenty-two others.

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The solution to eliminate measles

The virus that causes measles is one of the most contagious to humans, but the disease is almost entirely preventable through the vaccination: the measles vaccine is part of the so-called live attenuated vaccines and is administered in the form of a vaccine complex against measles, mumps and rubella (also called Mpr vaccine); the first dose of this vaccine must be given within two years of the child’s life (preferably at the 12th-15th month) and then with a booster towards 5-6 years or 11-12 years. Since there are no specific therapies for this diseasethe only way to contain it is to create, through the vaccine, aherd immunity that prevent a high virus circulation; for the action of the vaccine to be truly effective for the whole community, it is necessary However than vaccination coveragefor both doses, is at least 95%.

Unfortunately, we are far from this result: according to WHO data, globally only 81% of children receive the first dose of the measles vaccine and only 71% make a booster. Although there are differences from country to country, it is about the lower vaccination coverage rate registered since 2008. All this, together with the weakening of disease surveillance, the continuous interruptions and delays in vaccination activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the large persistent outbreaks in many countries of the world, make the goal of eliminating the disease farther and farther: it is estimated that in 2021 in the world there were approx 9 million cases And 128,000 deaths for measles.

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