More than 17 million children to be vaccinated. In December, Unicef launched a vast campaign calling for donations to finance a major vaccination campaign against measles. The NGO does not hide its concern in the face of the evolving situation. In Europe and Central Asia, the number of cases recorded increased thirtyfold in 2023 compared to 2022, bringing the number of patients declared last year to 31,000. “This represents an increase of 3,266% in the number of recorded cases,” explains Unicef.
This resurgence of the epidemic is hitting Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan first, but also member countries of the European Union such as Romania. If the number of cases within the EU remains marginal (1,400 in 2023), its progression is worrying. Dangerous and deadly, measles first causes high fever and red eyes, often accompanied by white spots in the mouth, remember The world. The skin rash phenomenon that gives its name to this highly contagious disease comes next. In 2020, more than 6,000 people died from measles in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In 2019, nearly 90% of measles cases were recorded in unvaccinated or poorly vaccinated subjects. In France, anyone aged at least twelve months and born after 1980 must be vaccinated. Vaccination is the most effective way to combat the resurgence of the epidemic. “There is no clearer sign of deterioration in vaccination coverage than the increase in the number of measles cases. Such a dramatic increase requires urgent attention and public health measures to protect children from this dangerous and deadly disease,” says Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF regional director.
An effort had enabled France to record only 15 cases in 2022suggesting that it could disappear.