The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an alert about a deadly disease spreading worldwide. This is not the first time this epidemic has spread, as it had already caused terrible damage during the Middle Ages.
Epidemics have often been devastating long before Covid-19. The Black Plague caused between 25 and 40 million deaths in Europe in the 14th century, cholera claimed nearly 100,000 lives in France in less than six months in the 19th century, and the Spanish flu killed 20 to 30 million people in Europe in the 20th century. There was also AIDS, which emerged in the late 1900s and still affects many today, claiming the lives of up to two million people annually at its peak.
The WHO has issued an alert for another epidemic in July. This disease has caused devastation in the past, such as in 1529 in Honduras, where it claimed two-thirds of the indigenous population’s lives, and in 1848 in Hawaii, where it took the lives of 40,000 people. It is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that spreads rapidly when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can cause complications in some patients as the virus affects the respiratory system and then spreads throughout the body, weakening the immune system.
The main symptoms, which can appear 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus, include fever, cough, and a rash all over the body. In 2022, 136,000 people died from this disease, mostly children under the age of five. However, there is a two-dose vaccine available for protection. The WHO has noted a decline in vaccination rates, prompting the organization to sound the alarm about measles.
Approximately 35 million children are not fully vaccinated against the disease. In 2023, 83% of children received at least one dose, and 74% completed the vaccination. These figures fall short of the 95% coverage needed to prevent an epidemic. In the last five years, 103 countries have been affected by measles outbreaks.
In France, the epidemic also threatens the population, especially children. The Ministry of Health reported a significant increase in cases in 2023 compared to 2022, highlighting «the existence of pockets of individuals still susceptible to the virus, especially among adolescents and young adults.» Public Health France indicates that «in most cases, travelers returning from an endemic area contracted the disease, returned contagious to France, and spread the virus.»
«Epidemics of measles are like the canary in the coal mine, exposing and exploiting gaps in vaccination and affecting the most vulnerable first,» explained Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO. The organization explains that the Covid-19 pandemic has led to vaccine hesitancy and reduced surveillance. Vaccine administration has often been delayed or missed.