There is a 59% decrease in the number of reported measles cases globally during 2000 to 2018, but there has been a spike since 2016.
Because of this, there is a need to increase the public awareness of vaccine importance and reduce Vaccine Hesitancy.
What is the situation worldwide?
Globally - Compared with over 1,32,000 reported measles cases in 2016, the numbers shot up to over 3,53,000 in 2018.
While the numbers in 2018 were more than double the previous year, the numbers in 2019 have already surpassed those of 2018.
By mid-November 2019, over 4,00,000 cases were reported globally.
Since measles surveillance is generally weak, WHO and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention resorted to estimating the number of measles cases and deaths.
Based on an updated estimation model, there have been nearly 10 million cases and over 1,42,000 measles deaths in 2018.
Mostaffected nations - In 2018, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Somalia, and Ukraine accounted for 45% of all reported cases.
The situation in Ukraine is grim with a sharp increase in reported cases.
But, there has been a decline in the other three countries mentioned that reported the most number of cases in 2018.
Vaccine hesitancy - This has been highlighted for the staggering spread in cases globally.
The World Health Organization (WHO) in a report held that Vaccine hesitancy is among the top 10 threats to global health in 2019.
The WHO defines Vaccine hesitancy as a delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite the availability of vaccination services.
Why is there a spread of Vaccine hesitancy?
In DR Congo, there is low institutional trust, misinformation, vaccine shortage and even attacks on health-care centres and workers leading to the spread of both measles and Ebola.
The Philippines and the small Pacific island of Samoa serve as a textbook case of the sudden emergence of vaccine hesitancy.
In Philippines, usage of a newly approved vaccinewith the risks associated with it already known, lowered the public trust in vaccines; so low vaccine coverage led to measles and polio outbreaks.
In Samoa, an error in preparing the MMR injection (MMR - Measles, Mumps, and Rubella injection) led to the death of two infants.
Fear-mongering led to a fall in vaccine uptake, leading to an outbreak of measles.
In many European countries and the U.S., vaccine hesitancy has been on religious grounds and primarily due to anti-vaccination campaigns spreading fake news about vaccine safety.
What could be done to counter vaccine hesitancy?
To counter rising hesitancy, about a dozen European countries have already introduced laws making vaccination mandatory.
New York City too introduced such a law when the U.S. nearly lost its measles elimination status.
Such laws may prove counterproductive in the long run, and the only way to increase vaccine uptake is by educating the public.
With 2.3 million children not vaccinated against measles in 2018, India has much to do to protect its young citizens.
