WHO, CDC: 40M kids miss measles vax dose

LONDON >> The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say measles immunization has dropped since the pandemic, resulting in a record high of nearly 40 million children missing a vaccine dose last year. In a report, the WHO and the CDC said millions of children were now susceptible to measles, among the world’s most contagious diseases. In 2021, officials said there were about 9 million measles infections and 128,000 deaths worldwide. The WHO and CDC said continued drops in vaccination, weak disease surveillance and delayed response plans due to COVID-19, in addition to ongoing outbreaks in more than 20 countries, mean that “measles is an imminent threat in every region of the world.”