U.N.: 870K measles cases in ‘19, most in 23 years

LONDON » The number of children sickened by measles in 2019 was the highest in 23 years, according to new data published by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a study published on Thursday, WHO and CDC said there were nearly 870,000 cases of measles last year, and the number of deaths — about 207,500 — increased by almost 50% since 2016. Officials blamed the record number of cases ona significant drop in vaccination; childrenmust receive two doses of the measles vaccine to avoid being sickened by the highly contagious disease. To prevent measles outbreaks, WHO estimates about 95% of the population must be immunized.