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healthcare
“Measles is far too contagious,” said Many countries have not introduced
Fore. “It is critical not only to increase the second dose, which is given after
coverage but also to sustain vaccination the age of four. Twenty countries in Sub-
rates at the right doses to create an um- Saharan Africa do not have it in their
brella of immunity for everyone.” immunisation schedule, which means
Resurgence of the once-eradicated, that 17 million infants are at higher risk.
highly-contagious disease is linked to Between one and three people in every
the growing anti-vaccine movement in In the first three 1,000 who catch measles will die, it is
richer nations, which the WHO has iden- months of this year, estimated, and there are serious com-
tified as a major global health threat. plications in some who survive such
The anti-vax phenomenon has more than 1,10,000 as blindness, encephalitis (an infec-
adherents across Western countries measles cases were tion that causes brain swelling) and
but is particularly high profile in the US, pneumonia.
where it has been fuelled by medically reported worldwide Dr Robin Nandy, Unicef’s chief of
baseless claims spread on social media. — up nearly 300 per immunisation, said: “I’m extremely
The US recorded 695 cases of measles worried and everybody should be
in 2019, the most of any year since the cent from the same worried. I’d be very disappointed if
disease was declared eliminated at the we were not worried about it. We have
turn of the century. “The high number period last year. An had a vaccine for a number of dec-
of cases in 2019 is primarily the result estimated 1,10,000 ades now. It is inexpensive, efficacious,
of a few large outbreaks — one in Wash- safe and widely available. Despite this
ington state and two large outbreaks people, most of them we are seeing outbreaks all across
in New York that started in late 2018,” children, died from the world.”
the Centres for Disease Control and
Prevention said. measles in 2017 letters@tehelka.com
Tehelka / 15 may 2019 61 www.Tehelka.com
