The number of measles cases are surging in the United States with the latest Measles Outbreak 2019. A UNICEF report stated that ten countries including France, Brazil, Madagascar, Serbia, the Philippines, Sudan, Thailand, Yemen, Ukraine and Venezuela have also reported outbreaks.
Around ninety-eight countries confirmed that the number of measles cases have increased considerably. Ukraine faced the highest increase in a measles outbreak. As many as 30,338 individual cases were reported between 2017-2018. The Philippines reported 13,192 cases, while there were 10,262 cases in Brazil.
Since February 2019, ten US states have reported 159 measles cases. These states include Colorado, California, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Kentucky, Oregon, Washington, Texas and Connecticut. The report was given by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Washington D.C. and the metropolitan area of New York has also reported measles outbreak. Majorly, children who lack vaccination against the disease became its target. Portland, which is considered a hub of anti-vax, also reported measles outbreak.
Measles Outbreak 2019 : What do you know about Measles?
A virus causing contagious disease, Measles infects the upper respiratory tract moving on to attack the rest of the body parts. The symptoms of the disease include runny nose, red and watery eyes, cough. Small spots on inner cheek and red rashes on face and upper neck are also some of the symptoms.
Brain swelling and pneumonia may also occur in some complicated cases. Brain swelling can even lead to intellectual disability, deafness or seizures. People below the age of five and above thirty suffering from this disease can face the most serious complications.
Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director, said,
This is a wake-up call. We have a safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine against a highly contagious disease — a vaccine that has saved almost a million lives every year over the last two decades
