The number of measles cases around the world rose by 20% in 2023 compared with 2022, leading to an estimated 10.3 million cases, according to estimates released Thursday by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 22 million children did not receive a first dose of the two-dose measles vaccine in 2023, the WHO and CDC said.
Globally approximately 83% of children received a first dose of the vaccine last year, and 74% received a second dose, the agencies said.
“The number of measles infections are rising around the globe, endangering lives and health,” CDC Director Mandy Cohen said in the statement.
“Measles vaccine has saved more lives than any other vaccine in the past 50 years,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
Persons:
Mandy Cohen, ”, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Organizations:
World Health Organization, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, WHO, CDC, Health