Progress on eliminating measles has stalled, WHO warns

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/11/14/progress-on-eliminating-measles-has-stalled-who-warns/

Progress on eliminating measles has stalled, WHO warns
Published November 14, 2014
Reuters

Progress toward wiping out measles worldwide has stalled, with deaths from the highly contagious disease rising last year and poor vaccine coverage leading to large outbreaks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

More than 145,000 people died of measles in 2013, up from 122,000 in 2012, the WHO said. Epidemics in China, Congo and Nigeria contributed to this, but there were also outbreaks in the WHO's European region, including in Georgia, Turkey and Ukraine...

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Progress on eliminating measles has stalled, WHO warns

Follow the link and read the article for an excellent assessment - Ro


Measles Still Kills 400 Kids A Day ? And It May Be Making A Comeback
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Nsikan Akpan / NPR

Measles might be preparing for a comeback tour.

Unlike Ebola, measles easily leaps between people. Virus-filled droplets linger, floating in the air or coating a coffee table for up to two hours after a contagious person coughs or sneezes. If you're susceptible to the disease and you breath that air or touch a contaminated surface and then rub your eyes, you're screwed. Measles infects 90 percent of those who are not immune.

And it's not just a week of misery that results. Before a vaccine was developed in the 1960s, measles caused more than two million deaths per year, typically when the virus severely infects the lungs or brain.
...
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/nov/18/measles-still-kills-400-kids-a-day-and-it-may-be/