The United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday released an update on global measles cases, noting a spike in the number of cases confirmed.
The report said some 440,200 cases had been reported as of November 5, topping the 350,000 cases reported in 2018. The deadly illness, which can be easily prevented with vaccinations, is spreading in every corner of the world.
The most shocking numbers were posted in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which registered a total of 250,270 cases on November 17, an increase of 8,000 cases over the week prior. Some 5,110 measles-related deaths were registered in the DRC.
Many countries in Europe experienced large outbreaks in 2019. From 1 January through 5 November 2019, Ukraine has reported 56,802 cases, followed by Kazakhstan with 10,126 cases, Georgia with 3,904 cases, Russian Federation with 3,521 cases, Turkey with 2,666 cases, and Kyrgyzstan with 2,228 cases of measles. Some of these outbreaks (e.g. Georgia, Russian Federation, Turkey) have resolved.
From 1 January through 17 November 2019, Lebanon reported 1,060 confirmed cases of measles. As of 8 November 2019, current outbreaks of concern include Yemen with 5,847 confirmed cases, Sudan with 3,659 confirmed cases, Somalia with 2,795 cases, Pakistan with 1,978 confirmed cases, Tunisia with 1,367 cases, and Iraq with 1,222 cases of measles.
